


Spirit Minded

by Artemis_Day



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Near Death Experience, Original Characters - Freeform, Post Anime, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2012-12-07
Packaged: 2017-11-19 10:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Day/pseuds/Artemis_Day
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are some things you don't truly appreciate until they're gone. One of them is life itself, as a certain Host Club King is about to discover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tamaki's Bad Day!

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older work of mine. I had it in my head for around three years before finally writing it. Quite a long time, huh? Well, this story was my baby, and the last thing I wanted was for it to be horrible. One chapter will be posted per day, and it'll be 12 chapters long. I will then begin posting the sequel, which is incomplete and currently on hold until my other stories are finished.
> 
> Here we go!

On the morning of September 23rd, the sun shone brightly in Tamaki Suoh's bedroom. The blonde High School student began to stir from his slumber, but didn't fully wake up until his alarm clock went off with a loud whine. He let out a sigh and tiredly reached for the button to silence it.

He sat up in bed, the covers slipping off his body as a gentle smile gracing his handsome features.

Tamaki Suoh was very much a morning person, unlike his best friend, Kyoya Ootori, who did not take kindly to being woken up by anyone except his own body. Not to mention Honey-senpai, whose early morning behavior was the stuff of legends. No, Tamaki loved mornings. He loved the sun shining, the birds singing, the first few seconds when you've just woken up and everything around you is so peaceful…

**SLAM**

"Master Tamaki!"

He jumped with a loud scream, flying off the bed and onto the floor with a thud. Shima just stood there, arms crossed, as her young master composed himself.

"Good morning Shima, you're looking quite well this morning," Tamaki greeted the housekeeper with a smile that could make any one of his customers melt at his feet.

Unfortunately, Shima was not one of them, and so all he got for his efforts was a frown. "Hurry and get dressed, Master Tamaki. I don't mean to rush you, but your father is downstairs waiting for you."

Tamaki blinked in surprise. "My father's here?"

She nodded. "He says he needs to talk to you about something important, so don't delay."

With that, Shima turned on a heel and left the room, allowing Tamaki privacy to get dressed. He did so quickly, all the while wondering what could be so important that his father would come all the way out to the second estate this early in the morning. When Tamaki was finished, he grabbed his valise and headed downstairs, careful to move fast, but not too fast as to seem rushed. He found his father waiting for him in the dining room where he ate his breakfast every morning. Yuzuru Suoh smiled at his only son.

"Good morning, Tamaki, please sit down," the elder Suoh motioned at the chair right across from him.

Tamaki did as he was told.

"Father, this is quite a surprise, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Actually, your Grandmother asked me to come today," Yuzuru said, earning a wide eyed stare. "She and I will be joining you tonight for dinner."

Tamaki blinked, the smile having slipped from his face the moment his Grandmother was mentioned.

"Really?" he asked, unsure.

Yuzuru only nodded in response.

Tamaki averted his eyes, trying to figure out what to make of this. Why would his Grandmother, who made no secret of her disdain and utter loathing of him, willingly spend an entire evening in his company? Could she possibly have chosen to name him the Suoh heir? It didn't seem likely, especially not after the Éclair Tonnerre incident several weeks ago.

"We'll arrive at seven o'clock sharp, so be ready before then," Yuzuru continued in a business like tone of voice. "You know how your Grandmother is about tardiness."

Tamaki nodded, hiding his growing case of nerves behind a rehearsed smile. "Yes, Father."

Before anymore could be said, a maid walked into the room and placed Tamaki's breakfast before him, while another servant passed a cup of coffee to Yuzuru. The older gentleman eyed his son's meal with light confusion as he grabbed a spoon and dug in.

"Son, what are you eating?"

Tamaki looked up, his mouth still full of milk and cornflakes.

"This? It's breakfast cereal," he answered after swallowing. "It's what commoners eat for breakfast! You want some?"

"No thank you," Yuzuru answered, taking a small sip of his coffee. He would surely never understand his son's obsession with so-called 'Commoner' food.

**  
"Hey, Kyoya, how do you feel about doing a pirate cosplay?" Tamaki asked the Host Club vice-president that day in class.

"Maybe…" Kyoya answered without looking up from his work. "So long as the budget allows it. Unfortunately, a lot has gone to more cakes for Honey-senpai this month, so we may have to hold off on anything too elaborate."

"But Kyoyaaaaaa," Tamaki whined childishly. "I really wanna cosplay pirates! Can't you imagine how adorable our precious Haruhi would look as a pirate?"

Tamaki spent the next few moments lost in his Inner Mind Theatre, imagining Haruhi in a pirate costume complete with a hat, eye patch, and even a fake parrot on her shoulder. A goofy expression adorned his face as he sighed happily.

The bespectacled youth observed his friend, clearly annoyed. "Well if you really want it, you may have to pay for it out of your own pocket."

Tamaki, now broken from his fantasy, could only pout. The bell rang shortly afterwards and the two boys began packing to leave.

"You know," Tamaki continued his needling. "A lot of ladies love pirates, I bet they'd enjoy a pirate scene."

"Need I remind you again about the budget?" Kyoya countered, with growing impatience.

"Oh, it's always the budget with you. Budget, budget, budget," Tamaki huffed angrily.

"Well of course," Kyoya replied with an almost evil look. "Otherwise, the Host Club would fall into bankruptcy and have to shut down, you don't want that, do you Tamaki?"

To that, the host club king had no rebuttal. Kyoya smirked and got up to leave. "Like I said before, if the budget allows it, we can do pirates next week."

Tamaki's pout changed immediately to a smile, signaling his easy bounce back from defeat. "Okay, thanks Kyoya."

The two left the classroom and walked down the hall to the cafeteria. Along the way, they were greeted several times by regular customers. It was just as they did every day before and would continue to do every day after. Like always, Tamaki flashed them an award winning smile that caused mass swooning and blushing from every female in the near vicinity.

"See that Kyoya?" Tamaki bragged as another girl fell to his charm. "In my presence, it's impossible for a woman to be anything but happy- OOF!"

Tamaki took an awkward step back from the girl he'd walked into. Her books had all fallen to the floor and she was stooped over picking them up, her face hidden by long, black hair. She was unfamiliar, and he wondered if she was new to Ouran. Either way, he gave her a bright smile and reached a hand out to her.

"I'm so sorry, my dear, let me help you with that."

The girl stared at him for a moment, then abruptly stood back up, books in arm, and gave him a glare that made his skin crawl.

"If you want to help me so much, look where you're going next time, idiot!"

She pushed past the stunned Tamaki and disappeared into the crowd, while Kyoya looked on, amusement written all over his face.

"Yes Tamaki, I see what you mean."'

The young Suoh stood frozen in shock, until he noticed his friend had gone on without him and broke into a run.

"Hey, Kyoya! Wait up!"

**  
 **4:00 PM: The Ouran Host Club is open for business.**

"Good afternoon Hasami-hime, Shizuka-hime. You're both as beautiful as ever today."

The two girls blushed so hard, their faces looked like rather large beets as they swooned before him. Behind them, Tamaki could hear two or three girls squealing with delight as Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin did their usual brotherly love routine, while Hunny-sempai happily munched a piece of cake one of his regulars had brought him.

"Tamaki-kun," Hasami shyly spoke up. "I was wondering, do you like dark chocolate? I made some cake for a party my aunt is throwing, and I was wondering if you… well if you…"

The girl trailed off, her persistent blush revealing just how nervous she was about asking this. Tamaki smiled and gently grasped Hasami's chin, pulling her close as if about to kiss her.

"I would love nothing more than to try it," he whispered. "I'm sure I'll love it just as much as I love seeing your beautiful face every day…"

Hasami sighed as next to her, Shizuka was almost beside herself with joy at how romantic the scene was.

The two girls left five minutes later, Hasami promising to return the next day with some of the cake. He smiled brightly, letting her know how eager he was to try it. Truthfully, Tamaki wasn't all that fond of dark chocolate, but he'd still eat it with a smile. The last thing he wanted was to see Hasami's lovely face streaked with tears.

His next customer would not arrive for a few minutes, so Tamaki busied himself with setting a clean tea cup down and refilling the pot in the clubroom's kitchen area. Walking back to his table, his ears caught a beautiful sound that made him stop.

"…he wasn't feeling too well when he got back. So, I made him some soup that my mom used to make for me when I got sick, and he was better the next day. I wasn't really sure at first if I'd made it right, but I did, and it really made me happy."

"That's so great, Haruhi-kun," one of Haruhi's customers gushed.

The other two gave similar reactions as the self proclaimed Host Club King looked on with a joyful feeling erupting in his stomach. His beloved daughter, his Haruhi was so cute! He just wanted to run right over, pull her into his arms and hug the life out of her. If only she'd be more receptive of her daddy's love.

"Tamaki."

He glanced away from Haruhi at his best friend, who lightly tapped a finger against the open page of his notebook.

"You're next guest is waiting for you," Kyoya informed him.

Tamaki nodded at his Second-in-Command as he took one last glance at his beloved daughter, then walked gracefully back to his table and filled the teacup of his newest guest.

**  
 **6:00 pm The Host Club is now closed.**

"WHAT?"

Everyone stopped. Six pairs of eyes trained on the commoner girl as she stood in the corner, her cell phone out and her father's voice filling her head.

"When did it happen?" she was asking, wringing the hem of her jacket in her hands and shaking slightly. "…no, it was running fine this morning… have they said… well, is anyone hurt? …That's good, but…"

Tamaki's eyes widened. The look crossing Haruhi's face caused his heart to break in two. She looked like a small child who's kitten had just been run over in the street. More than anything he wanted to rush over and hold her for as long as it took to bring her smile back, but something was stopping him. Hikaru looked as though he was thinking the same thing as Tamaki, but similarly made no move.

They waited until Haruhi said good bye to her father, after spending several minutes reassuring him that she 'would figure out another way,' whatever that meant.

As soon as the phone was closed and in Haruhi's pocket, the stupor that had fallen over the Host Club broke, and in the blink of an eye, Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Hunny-senpai were surrounding her. Kyoya and Mori-senpai stayed back, but not by very much.

"Haru-chan, what's wrong?" Hunny asked, his eyes glistening like he would cry at any second.

"Is everything okay?" Kaoru asked with an equal amount of concern.

Haruhi eyed her friends sadly. "There was a big accident on the train I take to and from here everyday."

The four boys gasped collectively.

"That's awful," said Hikaru.

"Poor Haru-chan," Hunny-senpai cried, his eyes finally filling up with tears… at least until he inexplicably brightened back up. "I know what'll cheer you up, Haru-chan!"

The small boy ran off fast as lightning before Haruhi could give away kind of response, Mori-senpai not far behind.

"Well, at least no one you know was hurt, right?" asked Hikaru with slight urgency.

Haruhi nodded her head, no. "Nobody I know takes that train. The problem is that now I won't have any way to get to and from school until they can reopen the train."

Tamaki, who had up until now been silent, felt a chill go down his spine at these words. He knew… he hadn't seen their faces yet, but he knew exactly what those demonic twins were thinking. He could just taste the evil thoughts roaming through their heads as they rounded on the innocent, unsuspecting Haruhi. Sure enough…

"Well that's not a problem, Haruhi." Kaoru said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Indeed it isn't," continued Hikaru, coming in from the other side. "If you can't use the train, then you can just come and go with-"

"HOLD IT!"

The trio jerked their heads up and faced their club's president. Tamaki stood in a dramatic pose; one hand on his side, and his other one pointed straight out at the twins and their 'captive.' His anger was palpable, though it had absolutely no effect on it's targets.

"I will not allow my daughter to be in the hands of you doppelgangers!" Tamaki declared forcefully. "You'll probably taint her virtue with your barbaric practices! She'll be driven by me, and that's final."

The twins' eyes narrowed. "Oh, and who said she wants to go with you, boss? We bet Haruhi'd prefer us any day of the week."

"How dare you!" Tamaki shouted, though inwardly he was a bit creeped out by their way of talking in unison like that (did they rehearse or something?). "My darling Haruhi would never prefer you over her daddy!"

"Do I get a say in this at all?" Haruhi wondered aloud.

Her question went unanswered, and she was deterred away from the thought when Hunny-senpai suddenly seemed to materialize in front of her with an enormous grin and a bowl held tightly in his hands.

"Here you go, Haru-chan," he said while holding it out to her.

Haruhi, who'd by now managed to get out of the twins grip, bent over to see what Hunny-sempai was offering her. She tilted her head to the side.

"Is that chocolate pudding?"

The small host nodded eagerly, "Yup, one of my guests made it for me and Takashi, but Takashi doesn't eat pudding, so we have some left over. You can have it if you want Haru-chan, it's so good, I bet it'd make you feel all better."

Of course, Haruhi didn't really like anything sweet, but she could tell that Hunny-sempai was sincerely trying to help. Besides, he was certainly doing a better job than the three idiots known as Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru, all of whom were still arguing over who would be driving her home.

"I'm her father, it should be me!" Tamaki said for the third time.

"You are _not_ her father, and she wants to go with _us_!" Hikaru shot back, Kaoru nodding in agreement.

Haruhi rolled her eyes as she took the bowl and placed it on a nearby table.

"Thanks, Hunny-senpai, I'll eat it later," she said with a smile.

This seemed to satisfy the young man. Haruhi then turned her attention back to the fight, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

"I may not be her father by blood, but I care about her like one," Tamaki was ranting furiously. It had gotten to the point were he looked close to breathing fire at the twins. "And that's why she should go with meAAARGH!"

Before he slipped, Tamaki could've sworn he heard a monkey screeching in the distance. It was ridiculous to think one would be at the school, but it sure would've explained the banana peel randomly laying on the floor right where his foot was. He struggled to regain his balance, screaming as he went, and grabbed onto the table Haruhi had just placed the pudding bowl on, knocking it over and sending the half full bowl flying.

"Tamaki-sen-"

That was all Tamaki heard before a loud squelching noise penetrated the air around them. Realizing with shock and horror what he had done, Tamaki shakily got up and observed the damage.

It was just as bad as he'd imagined, if not worse.

The bowl had fallen to the floor with a clatter, but Haruhi's face was now completely covered in chocolate pudding. The twins wore duel looks of shock and Hunny-senpai cried out in anguish at the wasted dessert. Tamaki could only walk forward like a zombie, desperate to make sure his dear daughter figure was okay and didn't hate him for this.

"H-Haruhi," he stammered as Kyoya handed her a towel. "I-I am so-."

Haruhi held up a hand, silencing Tamaki in an instant. She'd finished wiping off her face, though her hair and the top part of her uniform jacket still needed cleaning. Standing, she breathed deeply through her nose, as if trying to hold back anger. Despite her much shorter frame, she somehow seemed far bigger than Tamaki at that moment, making him all the more fearful and guilt stricken.

"Don't worry about it, Senpai," she said curtly. "I know you didn't mean to do it."

It didn't to much to calm the Prince's nerves. He could hear the aggrivation in her voice despite what she had said, and was so distraught that he didn't even try to object when Kyoya informed Haruhi that he would give her a ride home and the two of them took their leave.

As the doors closed, Hikaru leaned over to hiss in the shell-shocked Tamaki's ear.

"Nice going, boss."

**  
 _'Nice going, boss.'_

Those words followed Tamaki all the way to his limousine. Home drew nearer as he slumped over in the back seat, wishing he could go back in time and take back what had happened. Even though it was an accident, he still felt like it was his fault Haruhi had gotten so mad.

He never wanted to see her unhappy, not when he first met her, not when he'd almost left her and the club for good, and definitely not today. She had the most beautiful smile in the world, and if he could, he'd make sure it stayed on her face forever. He just loved his little daughter-figure so much. Now she was mad at him, and it almost killed him. If only he hadn't been so clumsy. If only…

A light bulb went off in Tamaki's head as he gasped and sat up.

"Of course," he said to himself. "If I really want her forgiveness, I shouldn't just wait until tomorrow, I should go see her right now and let her know how sorry I am!"

"Erm, Master Tamaki, did you say something?" asked Toshiro, Tamaki's chauffeur.

Unaware that he'd been shouting a moment ago, Tamaki leaned forward with large, starry eyes and a gleeful smile.

"Toshiro, slight change in plans," he said in a commanding tone. "I need to get to the Fujioka residence right away!"

"Eh?" the confused driver said. "But sir, what about the dinner with your Grandmother?"

"Oh, I'll only need a few minutes," Tamaki answered with a wave of his hand. "There's still an hour and a half before Father and Grandmother arrive, after all."

From the overhead mirror, the driver could see the surety in his young Master's eyes, and knew there was no point in arguing. He sighed and changed direction, taking the quickest route he could to Haruhi Fujioka's apartment building.

Tamaki leaned back in his seat, this time with happiness in place of gloom. He just knew that if he gave Haruhi his most sincere and heartfelt apology, she'd have to forgive him, and then things could go back to normal between them. He could see it now!

**  
 _Tamaki Suoh Inner Mind Theatre_

_"My darling Haruhi, I cannot bear to see your lovely eyes so filled with sorrow, especially not when I am the cause, can you ever forgive me?"_

_Haruhi smiled beautifully, a white rose he had given her rested on her head, enchaning her adorable features. "Oh, Tamaki-senpai, of course I do. I could never stay angry at you."_

_Tamaki pulled her close, almost like her was about to kiss her, but since she was like daughter to him and nothing more, it would be silly to think he'd actually do something so disgusting._

_"Oh, Haruhi…" he whispered._

_"Oh, Tamaki…" she breathed, her heavily lidded eyes sparkling as they got closer..._

**BEEEEEEEEEEEEP**

**  
"ARGH!" Tamaki flew to the other side of the car, smacking his head on the glass window.

"Are you alright, Master Tamaki?" Toshiro called back to him, concern evident in his voice.

Tamaki blinked, quickly composing himself before answering. "Oh-oh yes I'm all right, I think I dozed off for a minute there…"

He trailed off upon looking out the window and seeing the numerous cars piled up around them, many honking their horns futilely as they tried to find a way out of the jam.

"Forgive me, sir," Toshiro said. "It appears there's some traffic. I don't think it'll be clearing up any time soon."

Tamaki glanced at his driver, then out the window again. His heart was falling. He didn't want to be late for the dinner, but he couldn't leave things with Haruhi the way they were. He wanted her to forgive him. As Tamaki thought about this, he suddenly noticed something outside. That building across the way was the supermarket they'd all gone to with Haruhi once before! His eyes widened as his mind clicked.

"Toshiro," he suddenly said. "Forget about driving to Haruhi's place."

"That's probably the best thing," Toshiro agreed with a nod. "I can probably back out at that cross street behind us, trying to drive forward would be too difficu-"

"I know the way from here, so I'm going to walk."

Toshiro stopped and twisted his neck around. "What? Sir, you can't-"

"Don't worry," Tamaki interrupted as he opened the side door. "It's only a short walk. I'll call you when I'm ready to leave, and we'll be home in time to greet Father and Grandmother. Just drive around until then, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, Tamaki slid out of his seat and maneuvered his way around the stalled cars in the street to reach the side walk. He moved briskly past the grocery store and turned the next corner. His mind once again filled with images of him and Haruhi together, happy and enjoying each others company as they watched the sunset hand in hand. His heart swelled, he could hardly wait to reach his destination and set everything right.

He stood on the corner of the last street he had to cross. Her building was now directly in his line of sight. The WALK signal appeared on the traffic light, and Tamaki stepped off the sidewalk into the street, an ever present smile adorning his features.

 _'Just wait,'_ he happily told himself. _'I'll make everything right again._

He heard it first, the loud honking of a trunk's horn. Then someone screamed, prompting Tamaki to stop and turn his head. High beams blinded him as the trunk barrled towards him. He was frozen in place, and could do nothing but stare in shock and horror. It came closer and closer, it wouldn't be stopping.

And then everything went black, and Tamaki Suoh knew no more.


	2. Tomorrow, Two Months Later!

"AAAAAH!"

Tamaki sprang up in bed, his eyes darting around in all different directions. His body was shaking a bit; being hit by a truck would do that to you after all.

But wait, if he'd just been standing in front of a truck… how did he get in his room?

Tamaki examined his surroundings. He was lying his bed, the same one he slept in every night. Same walls, same nightstand, same enormous window with the sun streaming in and Antoinette was clearly visible, asleep in the corner just as she always had. This was his room, alright.

Now Tamaki was confused.

 _'How did I end up here?'_ he asked himself. _'The last thing I remember was…'_

He shivered a bit, he'd rather not remember staring at those headlights.

_'Okay, just stay calm and think, what did I do before that? Wait…'_

A light bulb went off in Tamaki's head, one that made him sigh in relief.

"That's right," he said aloud. "I dozed off in the car yesterday. I must've fallen asleep and dreamed up the traffic jam and that truck. That means I'm okay. Thank Goodness…"

Tamaki laughed, a weight lifting off his stomach as he looked out at the morning sun. It looked a bit more beautiful all of a sudden, reminding him how lucky he was to be alive to see it every morning. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he thought back to what he'd been doing the night before. He shrugged his shoulders, he'd just have to apologize to Haruhi in School that day, hopefully she wasn't still too angry.

Tamaki sat up, and suddenly realized that he'd been laying on top off his blankets rather than under them. He also noticed something even more peculiar.

"I'm still in my uniform?"

He ran a hand down his Ouran jacket.

_'Well, I guess I can't expect the maids to undress me, but they could've at least taken my shoes off.'_

He gently kicked his shoe covered feet forward as he thought this. After a few more seconds, he shrugged and stood up, figuring it wasn't that big of a deal. He took a moment to stretch his arms and marvel at how refreshed he felt, having gotten so much sleep the night before.

The night before…

"OH MY GOD, I MISSED THE DINNER!"

His screaming rang across the room and woke Antoinette, who was on her feet and barking in the blink of an eye. This forced Tamaki to forget about his faux pas for a moment so he could calm her down before the servants were disturbed and came to see what was wrong.

"Sh, relax Antoinette," he approached the dog quickly. "It's okay, I'm right here, it's okay."

That wasn't calming her down. In fact, she barked louder the closer he got.

"Antoinette, what's wrong?" Tamaki asked, reaching a hand out to pet her.

He immediately pulled it back when the dog made like she would bite him and barked louder than ever in his direction. Tamaki backed away, both confused and saddened by his beloved pet's behavior. What could he possibly have done to make her so angry?

Before he could ponder this further, the bedroom door burst open and in came Shima with an angry look on her face.

"Hush, Antoinette," The elderly maid harshly snapped at the dog. "What in Heavens name are you barking at?"

"Shima," Tamaki addressed the women, whose back was to him. "Did you remember to have her fed last night? I know I was asleep bu- wait, where are you going?"

Shima, it seemed, had given up trying to quiet the still barking Antoinette, and left the room without even acknowledging her young Master. Tamaki could only follow her out and try again once again to get her attention.

"Shima, didn't you hear me?" He called out as she descended the staircase.

He was distracted from her though, when he realized just whom she was approached. His father, Yuzuru Suoh, stood in the doorway waiting for her. They began talking about something Tamaki couldn't make out, so he climbed down the stairs himself and moved closer to them.

"…is making a lot of noise." He heard his father say, most likely about Antoinette.

"She's quieting down a bit now," Shima answered. "I think whatever was bothering her is probably gone now."

Yuzuru nodded, "I trust you've been keeping his room clean?"

"Of course," Shima answered. "We've followed your instructions to the letter."

Tamaki listened to the conversation in silence, wondering why his father was asking Shima about this. Did he think the servants weren't doing their jobs properly? He had been over yesterday morning, did he not like what he'd seen?

"Father," Tamaki spoke up, stepping past Shima so nothing would block him from his father. "The staff is doing a perfectly good job. There's no reason for you to be concerned."

Yuzuru sighed, a sad look on his face for some reason, "See to it then that you continue."

Shima bowed in response as Yuzuru turned to leave.

"I'd stay longer," he called over his shoulder. "But the school day is about to start. It wouldn't do for the Principal to be late."

"Late?" Tamaki repeated to himself.

He glanced over at the grandfather clock by the opposite wall. It was 7:20. His first class started in fifteen minutes.

"I'M LATE?" Tamaki freaked out for the second time. "Shima, why didn't you wake me?"

He dashed outside, not waiting for an answer. He stepped across the threshold and stopped short. Toshiro wasn't there, and the only car in sight was his fathers.

"Wha… father, do you know where Toshiro is?" Tamaki called to his father.

Yuzuru Suoh looked at Tamaki, or rather, at the area where Tamaki was standing. For some reason, Tamaki didn't think his father even realized he was there, but that was ridiculous. Tamaki was in plain sight after all.

He stood rigid for a few moments, looking into his father's eyes and wondering what he should do next. Then a thought struck him.

"Am I going with you this morning?"

It had happened a few times before. Sometimes Yuzuru would drive to the Second estate before school started and escort his son to the campus. He only did this if there was something important to be discussed. The last time had been a few days after the School Festival. Yuzuru had spent the whole trip speaking sternly to his son about disobeying his Grandmother's wishes and how he was now on thinner ice than ever with her. Tamaki took it well, of course. He'd known just by looking at his father that there was no substance behind his words. The older man's eyes were smiling; he was proud of his son, even if he'd never say it.

This time, however, Yuzuru gave no response to his son's question. His eyes moved just above Tamaki's head, looking at something behind the boy. Then he closed his eyes and slid into the car. Tamaki, though still confused, could only take his father's lack of answers as a yes and quickly got into the limousine himself just before the Chauffeur closed behind him. It wasn't like he had another way of getting to school anyway.

The car ride was surprisingly quiet. Tamaki had expected his father to say something by now, but Yuzuru had been staring aimlessly out the window for several minutes now. Tamaki, for his part, sat twiddling his thumbs and wondering why his father had wanted his company if he wasn't going to say anything.

"Father," Tamaki said when he finally grew tired of the silence. "I know you must be angry with me about last night. Grandmother was very upset, wasn't she?"

Yuzuru didn't answer, which made Tamaki nervous. He must've been in a lot of trouble.

"Please let her know how sorry I am," he continued. "I would never intentionally snub her. I don't even know why I slept for so long…"

He trailed off slowly when he realized his father still hadn't moved from his spot. Tamaki stared incredulously at the middle aged man. Was he ignoring him?

"Look, I know you're angry, but giving me the silent treatment isn't going to solve anything!" Tamaki cried, raising his voice a bit.

Still nothing.

At this point, Tamaki was quite affronted, and decided that if his father wanted to play this game, he'd be happy to play along. The remainder of the drive was conducted in silence, with Tamaki doing everything in his power to keep his eyes on the window and nowhere near his father (and he definitelydidn't glance over several times to see if his father had moved at all).

**  
Tamaki stepped out of the car, yelping as the Chauffeur almost closed the door before he was all the way out. Tamaki would have taken a moment to inform the driver of this slight, but the large clock in the courtyard was ringing, signaling the start of class.

Tamaki ran past his still silent father, throwing a quick goodbye over his shoulder and passing several students on his way to class.

When he reached Homeroom, he found the door was still open. Without another thought, he ran inside, but stopped short when he realized he was now standing in front of his teacher and his classmates, and probably looked like a mess from all the running.

Mortified, Tamaki turned around and bowed to the teacher.

"Sensei, forgive me," he said in a respectful tone. "I did not mean to be late, I just… huh?"

Tamaki blinked, having just noticed that his teacher hadn't looked up from the papers she was grading. Tamaki stared at her in confusion for a few seconds.

"Sensei?" he called out to her.

No response.

A chill went up Tamaki's spine.

'What is wrong with everyone today?' he asked himself. _'First Antoinette, then Shima, my own father, and now my teacher is ignoring me too. What is happening here?'_

**  
 _Tamaki Suoh Inner Mind Theatre_

_The aliens were invading earth, they had destroyed all the major cities. Slaughtered the military. The world had descended to complete Chaos._

_"MUHAHAHAHAHA! We are now controlling your brains, puny humans! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed the aliens._

_"We are being controlled by the aliens," droned the brainwashed human population._

**  
Tamaki blinked.

"No, that's just silly, aliens don't have mind control powers," he said to himself. "Unless the ninjashave something to do with it! But wait, ninjas don't have mind powers either… but what if they do?"

Tamaki screamed in fear, waving his arms over his head like a maniac. He eventually came to his senses and realized he'd just made a fool of himself in front of all his classmates.

Or at least he _would_ have had they actually acknowledged what just happened.

Pointless theories aside, this was getting scary. Tamaki slowly walked to his desk, arms crossed defensively, looking around at his classmate's whose noses were all in their work. They didn't even flinch when he passed them by, despite his loud footsteps.

This wasn't right. Normally, at least five of his (female) classmates would've come to greet him the second he walked through the door. Even if he was late, they'd at least acknowledge him with a smile or a nod. Suddenly being ignored like this… well, it was certainly new to Tamaki.

He shakily sat down at his desk.

 _'Stay calm,'_ he told himself. _'Just stay calm, there has to be a logical explanation for all this. I just have to… wait, Kyoya! He'll know what's going on!'_

He almost whirled around without thinking, but stopped himself. Kyoya didn't like to be disturbed in the middle of class. The last time Tamaki made that mistake, he'd been too scared to look Kyoya in the eye for three days afterwards. Still, his confusion over being ignored managed to outweigh the fear of his best friend's wrath.

Slowly, Tamaki rotated in his seat, until he was facing his best and oldest friend.

"Psst," he hissed. "Kyoya…"

Kyoya didn't look up from his work.

Tamaki fought down another batch of nerves and tried again.

"Kyoya," he said louder. "Kyoya, listen to me, something weird is happening. Nobody will talk to me, it's like I'm not even here. Even my _father_ was doing it!"

The other boy lifted his head a bit as he turned his notebook to a new page. Once he had, he was right back to taking notes and not once did he seem to hear what his friend was saying.

That teared it.

Tamaki practically leapt out of his seat, fear and confusion taking a back seat to his growing anger and frustration.

"Kyoya, as President of the Host Club and your superior officer, I demand that you answer me RIGHT NOW!"

He didn't even care about disturbing class at this point, it wasn't like they were paying him any attention anyway.

"Dammit, Kyoya," Tamaki nearly shouted. "Answer me!"

He raised a fist, determined to get a reaction out of his friend no matter what.

"I said," he repeated, rarely seen anger laced in his words as he reared his fist back. "ANSWER ME!"

He swung. He didn't want to hit Kyoya, but this quiet game was becoming to much for him. His fear and anger were growing every time someone ignored him. He needed to know what was going on, and he needed someone to help him. It seemed to happen very slowly. Tamaki's fist came closer and closer to the apathetic Kyoya. Finally, his fist reached Kyoya's head.

And went right through it.

The self proclaimed King's reaction was instantaneous and, given the circumstances, fairly reasonable.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Tamaki leapt backwards, moving through three desks along the way. When he stopped, he was at the opposite end of the room, by the windows. He breathed heavily… wait, was he even breathing?

His hand clutched at his heart and Tamaki blanched. No heartbeat.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Antoinette's barking, everyone ignoring him… no they weren't ignoring him, they couldn't _hear_ him, or _see_ him.

That truck, it wasn't a dream. It really happened.

Tamaki Suoh really was…

"Dead." The word fell out of Tamaki's mouth before he could stop it. He stood frozen for who knew how long, letting it sink in.

He was dead…

"BUT I CAN'T BE DEAD!" He screamed. "I- I'm too young to die! What'll happen to the Host Club? What about Haruhi? Those demon twins will get to her! And what about my mother? She wouldn't survive if something happened to me! I SIMPLY CAN NOT BE DEAD!"

He ran back to his desk (careful not to move through any to get there) and leaned right in Kyoya's face.

"Come on, Kyoya, say something! Anything! Call me a dumbass, tell me to shut up, just talk to me, please!"

Kyoya gave no reaction at all.

His mind racing, Tamaki began sprinting around the room, crying frantically the whole way, desperate for someone, _anyone_ to hear him.

"Shizuka-hime!" he stopped in front of his regular's desk. "You can see me right? Right? You know I'm here!"

She didn't respond.

"What about you Ayame?" he rounded on the girl one desk over. "Can't you see me?"

Ayame adjusted her glasses, glanced at the clock, and continued to write notes. Not once but she spare Tamaki a glance.

"DOESN'T ANYBODY SEE OR HEAR ME?"

A boy two desks away looked up in Tamaki's direction. He gasped, hope rising within him.

The boy faced forward and raised his hand.

"Excuse me, Sensei?" he said politely. "Can we please close the windows, it's a little drafty in here."

"Alright, Tsukuda-san," said the teacher, who then turned her attention to a girl in the second row who sat right next to the open windows.

"Kita-san, please close the windows."

"Of course, Sensei," the girl said as she stood up.

Behind her, Tamaki could only stand there, unnoticed by everyone. In any other situation, he would have crawled into his corner by now to sulk, but this… this went beyond the Corner of Woe. This was…

Death.

Yes, he couldn't deny it anymore. What had just happened proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt. He was dead. He'd been hit by a truck while trying to cross the street. He was dead and he was a ghost, that was it.

Tamaki's mouth was open, but no words came out as he aimlessly ambled out of the classroom and down the hall. He didn't know where he was going, but it didn't really matter anyway.

Because he was dead.

**  
The streets were very busy. Another traffic jam, it seemed. Tamaki didn't pay it any mind though. He'd been walking for several blocks now. Since he was no longer solid, he could simply move through any obstacles in his way, so he just walked in a straight line all the way into commoner territory.

 _'What's going to happen to everyone?'_ he wondered aloud for perhaps the tenth time. _'The Host Club, will they disband? What about my mother, and Haruhi?'_

Haruhi…

What would she do without her daddy to protect her?

What would Kyoya do? And the twins? And Hunny and Mori?

_'All of us would be completely lost without you!'_

Tamaki stopped. He'd almost forgotten those words Haruhi said to him on the bridge. Right before they'd gone over into the river below. Together.

 _'No,'_ he said to himself. _'They can make it, they have each other. They have…_

_I'm dead.'_

Those words struck him hard. In spite of everything, he hadn't really let that sink in until right at that moment. His life had ended. He'd never eat, sleep, feel cold or warm or anything else, ever again. He'd never see his mother again. He'd never see Haruhi's bored look or the cute little smile she only let show on certain occasions.

He'd never graduate from Ouran. He'd never make peace with his Grandmother. He'd never see France again. He'd never hold Haruhi in his arms again. What if a thunderstorm came, who would protect her?

Tamaki slumped over onto the curb. People were literally walking through him, but he couldn't care less. If he could cry, he would've, but it seemed he'd lost that ability along with everything else he'd ever known or loved.

He was a ghost now, walking the earth alone until who knows when. The people around him walked by and didn't even know he was there. A man was crossing the street with some groceries, a woman sat at an outdoor café and talked on a cell phone; a little girl on the other side of the street was looking at some flowers. Business as usual, not a single glance at the miserable ghost.

Tamaki pulled his legs closer to him. He would've leaned against the wall behind him, but he was afraid he'd fall right through it if he tried, not that it would've matter. He absently watched the passers-by, every now and then looking back at that little girl and wondering where her parents might be. It seemed odd that a girl that young would be left on her own.

Then she lifted her head and looked right at him.

At first, Tamaki was unsure of that. He turned around, expecting to see something or someone behind him that had caught the child's interest, but there was nothing. Looking back, he found that her eyes were still on him, and that she'd tilted her head to one side in a childish way and brought her thumb up to her mouth.

Tamaki had no idea what to make of this. Could this girl have some sort of ghost seeing ability? Or was he just imagining it?

Tentatively, Tamaki raised a hand and gave a slow wave. His eyes widened as the girl broke into a grin and began running towards him. His joy at finally being seen, however, was cut short when he realized the girl was about to run into heavy traffic.

"Wait!" he called out, but she was already in the street.

Tamaki could then only watch as the small girl phased through several cars as well as a lamp post before she finally stopped in front of him.

"Hi, Mister!" she said in a high, cheerful voice. "Are you invisible too?"

Shocked, Tamaki didn't answer right away.

"Wha- invisible?" Was all he could say when he did.

"Uh-huh," the girl said with a nod. "I've been invisible since forever! And I can do this!"

She ran back to the lamp post and stuck her arm through it.

"See, isn't that cool?"

Tamaki looked at her arm, which was now jutting out the other end of the pole.

"…how long did you say you've been- _invisible_ for?" he choked a bit on the word 'invisible'.

The girl blinked, "I dunno, a long time."

Tamaki stared at her, unsure what to make of this. He could see the girl didn't fully understand what had happened to her, he didn't understand it himself, actually. After all, she was so young…

"My name is Tamaki," he said, forcing a smile. "What's your name, little one?"

"I'm Naru!" she answered. "And I'm not little! I'm almost four!"

She held up four fingers for visual reference, and Tamaki felt something catch in his throat.

Only four and already…

It seemed some people had it even worse than him.


	3. Have Fun Like A Ghost!

The little ducks swam around the pond, completely unaware of the ghostly little girl watching them with wide, wondering eyes. The park was close to empty, most people either in school or at work, so it was very quiet, something that didn't bother the girl or her teenaged companion.

Tamaki stood quietly off to the side while Naru continued to stare at the baby ducks, as oblivious to the world around her as it was of her. He thought back to how he'd ended up here since he still wasn't entirely sure himself.

**  
 _"I've been doing lots of fun stuff since I got invisible!" Naru cheerfully explained. "I can go all over the place and the grownups don't tell me not to!"_

_"Is that so?" Tamaki asked, pretending to sound surprised._

_She nodded, "Uh-huh, it's lots of fun. I was just going to the park, wanna come?"_

_Naru looked at Tamaki with big, brown eyes, and he was struck by how much she suddenly reminded him of little Nekozawa Kirimi. The only differences were color scheme and the fact that Naru's vocabulary was much more… appropriate for a child her age._

_He thought about saying no, but before he could, a million other thoughts entered his mind. He had nothing else to do since he was dead, he shouldn't leave a small child alone even if she probably couldn't get hurt, she was impossibly adorable so of course he should do as she asked…_

_**  
'Oh yeah, that's how.'_

Tamaki heard Naru giggle as a she reached out to try and pet one of the ducklings. It swam straight though her hand towards it's mother, leaving a saddened little ghost in it's wake.

"I can never pet one," Naru whispered, her face falling.

Tamaki frowned, he never liked seeing anyone sad, especially not young girls. He wanted to say something to cheer her up, but he didn't know what he could say to make it better. He couldn't make her solid again, couldn't bring her back to life. He had no idea why a child her age was dead in the first place, it just wasn't right.

He was prevented from saying anything in the end, by the arrival of another voice.

"Well, hello there!"

Tamaki yelped as an arm suddenly slung around his neck, which caused Naru to turn and look at him.

What she saw was another ghost around Tamaki's height with shoulder length brown hair, hazel eyes and a big grin on his face.

"You must be new," the man said to Tamaki in strangely accented Japanese. "I can tell just by looking at you! So, how long you been dead for?"

Tamaki stared at the man, having no idea what to make of him. He was definitely a ghost. If his words hadn't given that away, the fact that he was able to grab Tamaki certainly would have.

Next Tamaki pondered his question, and realized for the first time that he really didn't know how long he'd been dead for. He'd like to think it had happened the night before, but the way everyone acted said different. They all looked like they were going about business as usual, just without him. Could it be that he'd been dead for longer than just a day? But then why did he only become a ghost now? And if that where the case, just how long had it actually been since…?

"I-" he started to say to the waiting spirit. "I- I don't… really know actually."

The ghost raised an eyebrow, but then shrugged.

"Ah, don't sweat it," he said. "I don't really remember when I died either. Name's Hotaka Kimura, by the way, but my friends call me Hoki."

Tamaki blinked, "Hoki?"

"Yeah, they all thought my real name was weird, so they gave me a nickname, that's Americans for you." Hoki explained, waving a hand dismissively. "I can tell you all about them, but first, who the heck are you two?"

Tamaki glanced down at Naru, then back at the cheerful specter. "My name is Tamaki Suoh, and this is Naru."

At the sound of her name, the little girl smiled and gave a wave. Hoki kneeled down to get a better look at her.

"Hm, you seem pretty new too," He said as he studied her face. "But not as much as your pal here."

The next thing he knew, Tamaki had been pulled into anther one armed hug by the grinning Hoki.

"Don't worry," Hoki said to him. "I'll show you guys how much fun it is being a ghost!"

"Fun?" Tamaki repeated, he hadn't really thought being dead could be enjoyable in any way.

Hoki didn't answer. Instead, he let go of Tamaki's head and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him away from the pond with Naru close behind.

As they walked the next few blocks, Hoki regaled them with stories of his first fifteen years in Japan before his father's work moved them to America (which explained his odd accent) where he forwent college to join the military and died in combat. He was giving them an abridged (for Naru's sake) retelling of the time his bunkmates slipped a snake in his bed, when he suddenly quieted and threw an arm out to stop them in their tracks.

"What is it?" Tamaki asked.

"Look, when we walked down this block," Hoki answered in an oddly serious voice. "Keep your eyes forward, and don't turn your head no matter what you hear."

"Why?" asked Naru.

"Just trust me on this." Hoki answered.

He began walking again, followed by Tamaki and Naru. The former was confused and unsure of what Hoki was getting at. Was there something he didn't want them to see? Tamaki wondered what it could be, but was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of someone singing. Not just any singing either, but opera singing. As the voice grew louder, Tamaki realized that nobody was stopping to listen. That was odd; he'd think that such a lovely voice would at least attract some attention.

"Don't look," Hoki hissed again.

They made it to the curb, where the singing was louder than ever. Naru was looking in both directions for the voice. Tamaki realized it was coming from the right just as a flash of red appeared in the corner of his eye. He instinctively turned, and beheld the sight of a beautiful young woman with curly blonde hair wearing a sparkly red dress. Tamaki knew immediately that she was ghost, even if her singing was ignored, her loud clothing would've gotten at least a couple of stares.

Her eyes were closed as her voice grew louder. Tamaki didn't recognize the song, but it still sounded beautiful coming from her. She opened her eyes as she reached the song's climax… and stopped.

Her arms, which had been dramatically spread out wide in the air, slumped to her sides as she stared with an unreadable expression at the other three ghosts. Hoki smacked a hand to his forehead.

"Darn it kid, I told you not to look," He groaned.

"Why'd you stop?" Naru called out to the woman.

"Yes, you have a lovely voice," Tamaki added.

That seemed to strike a chord with the woman. In an instant, she'd gone from confused to deliriously happy and with an exuberant squeal, charged right at them and pulled Tamaki into a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh you wonderful boy!" She cried happily. "And you sweet little girl, you have NO IDEA how long I've waited for someone to appreciate my singing!"

"You mean someone who isn't tone deaf and brain dead?" Hoki remarked snidely.

That comment alone was enough to make the woman's smile fade as she glanced up at the other male ghost. Her face set into a scowl as she let go of Tamaki.

"You," she hissed. "What are you doing here, you horrible cretin?"

"Hey, I can walk where ever I want," Hoki bit back. "You're the one who's always standing here screeching at people. It's a good thing they can't here you or else they'd think you're killing animals."

"HOW DARE YOU!" The woman shouted.

"Excuse me?" Tamaki piped up. "I don't mean to interrupted, but do you two know each other?"

"Unfortunately, yes," answered the woman. "Before you two, the cretin here is the only one who ever acknowledged my music, and he did so with insults and jeers."

Tamaki listened, then gave a reprimanding glance to Hoki, who shrugged.

"I don't like that opera junk."

Tamaki sighed and turned his attention back to the blonde woman.

"My name is Tamaki Suoh," he said as he took her hand and lightly kissed it. "This is Naru, and it seems you already know Hoki."

"Elissa DeGraneri," she introduced herself with a curtsey. "I came to Japan as part of a theatre troupe fifteen years ago. Unfortunately, I had a bit of an accident, and now here I am: all alone with no one besides cretins to hear me sing."

"That's terrible," Tamaki answered with a dramatic sigh. "That such talent is wasted. My dear woman, I wish there was something I could do to help you."

Elissa smiled and took Tamaki's hands in hers, a warm smile adorning her features.

"Just the fact that you enjoyed it is enough for me." She said.

"Are you too going to make out?" Hoki's loud voice rang out. "Because if you are, I'll take the kid and go."

"SILENCE, YOU CRETIN!" Elissa shouted and smacked Hoki upside the head.

Tamaki meanwhile backed away uncomfortably. Just because he liked Elissa's singing didn't mean he liked her like that.

"Alright," Hoki said once he'd gotten Elissa to stop hitting him. "Let's go, you two. Leave the Prima Donna here to her one woman show."

"So no one else has ever heard you?" Naru asked innocently.

Elissa shook her head sadly, "I've always looked for other ghosts, or even a medium, but I never found one."

Tamaki ears went alert at the last part of her sentence.

"Medium's exist?" he asked, surprise and hope evident in his tone.

Hoki grinned widely, "Oh yeah. There's a whole bunch of them out there."

For the first time since he'd realized he was dead, Tamaki's heart swelled. If he could find a medium, maybe he'd be able to talk to his friends and family one more time before he went… where ever it was dead people went. He could talk to Haruhi again!

"They say mediums are the only people in this world whose eyes are truly open," Hoki continued, his voice taking a more ominous turn every second. "They share a deep connection with the dead, perhaps even stronger than with people who are alive. In fact… some people believe medium aren't even truly alive… or truly human…"

By now, Tamaki was flat against the wall, his face white as he shook with fear. Hoki stared at him with wide, insane eyes, before he suddenly burst out laughing.

"I'm just messing with ya, kid," He said between laughs. "No, mediums are mostly pretty normal. You can't usually tell if someone is one unless you see them react to you or if they tell you themselves."

"O-oh," Tamaki stammered as he steadied himself. "W-well, thank you for letting me know."

"You're very welcome!" Hoki cried with another grin. The next thing anyone knew, he'd grabbed Tamaki for the third time and started a brisk walk away from the curb, Naru and Elissa close behind. "Enough talking now, time for some fun!"

**  
"I hope you guys held on to your ticket stubs in case you have to use the bathroom," Hoki whispered to Tamaki and Naru, before a look of mock realization washed over his features. "Wait a minute, we don't need ticket stubs or a bathroom, we're ghosts! Awesome!"

Hoki gave a laugh and leaned back in his seat, resting his feet on the seat below him and his head in his hands.

"We may be ghosts," Elissa muttered in annoyance. "But we are trying to watch the movie same as everyone else, you cretin."

"Quit calling me a cretin, I have a name you know," Hoki curtly answered. "And why are you even here, anyway? Shouldn't you be crooning to the alley cats or something?"

"Both of you, _please,_ " Tamaki said quickly before Elissa could open her mouth to scream a retort. "Naru-chan's watching the movie."

The little ghost didn't seem to notice or care about what her new friend's were saying, her eyes were focused on the kid's movie Tamaki insisted they go see (Hoki wanted an R15+ action film).

"I wasn't just going to leave them with you," Elissa whispered. "You'd probably turn them into cretins like you."

As the two continued to quietly argue, Tamaki tried and failed to focus on the movie. He couldn't really think about anything besides the fact that he was a ghost. It was all just a blur: one minute he was perfectly healthy, enjoying himself with the Host Club and his dear daughter Haruhi, now he was dead and hanging out with other dead people.

Tamaki sighed and rested his elbow on the arm rest. He quietly tapped his feet against the floor, thinking quietly to himself.

 _'Being dead really doesn't feel much different from being alive,'_ he thought. _'I can walk through walls, but I can still sit in chairs. Come to think about it-'_ "AAGH!"

Tamaki suddenly fell through the chair, landing flat on his rear end and sitting on the floor, his upper body sticking out of the seat. His companions shot a glance at him while Hoki began to chuckle.

"You thought about the chair, didn't ya, Kid?" He said in a humorous voice.

Tamaki looked at him, "I thought about- what?"

Hoki rolled his eyes and stood. He grabbed Tamaki's hand and pulled him back up.

"The chair," he answered. "You've been able to sit in chairs so far because you haven't been thinking about it. See, you don't have a body anymore, that's why you can move through things. You do still have a brain, at least in a metaphysical sense. Because of that, you still have a subconscious, that's how you've been able to sit down and walk all this time, because your subconscious says you can. Once you start thinking about it, you can't anymore because you're a new ghost and don't know how yet. Get it?"

"Not really," Tamaki answered with a shake of his head.

"Just don't think about the chair, okay?" Hoki shortened it. "That's rule number one of being a ghost."

Tamaki nodded, "I understand, but why are you still holding my hand?"

Hoki glanced at their entwined fingers and then shrugged.

"Just in case you start thinking about the floor." he responded, causally.

"Thinking about the- AAAARGH!"

The ground underneath them seemed to vanish and Tamaki fell halfway through the theatre floor, Hoki's hand the only thing keeping him from landing in the basement.

"Rule number two!" Hoki declared, laughter in his voice.

**  
"That was fun!" Naru said with childish glee. "I wanna see it again!"

"My movie would've been better," Hoki snorted.

"Tamaki, love, what's wrong?" Elissa questioned the sullen looking young man.

Hoki and Naru looked in her direction to find Tamaki sitting on the curb, his head in his hands and the concerned Elissa leaning over in front of him. Tamaki was staring at the pavement, looking as hopelessly lost and scared as a child lost in a crowd without his parents. Hoki raised an eyebrow.

"What's your problem?" he asked, stepping forward.

Tamaki looked up with flat eyes.

"I'm just…" he trailed off, searching for the right words. "I'm thankful to you for trying to help me, it's just… before I- I died, I was going to visit someone. There was something I wanted to say to them. Something important."

As Tamaki paused, Hoki responded with a knowing grin.

"Ooooh, and would this 'someone' happen to be a girl?" he asked slyly.

Tamaki nodded, completely missing the implications behind Hoki's tone.

"I never got to tell her… and I never got to say goodbye. To her or anyone else. I know I can't come back to life, but if I could just speak to her, or my friends, or my father and mother one last time… but that's impossible, isn't it?"

No one responded. Naru didn't really understand what he meant, but knew enough to know it was sad. Elissa looked on the verge of tears, while Hoki just stayed quiet, the grin long having disappeared from his face.

"Look, kid…" he said in a solemn voice that struck Tamaki as odd and made him look up.

To his surprise, Hoki looked sad and a bit sheepish, emotions that didn't really suit his usually upbeat personality. The other ghost glanced at Tamaki, and suddenly his grin was back. Though the happiness didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Come on, enough sob stories!" Hoki cried, grabbing Tamaki's arm and forcing him into a standing position. "Time to go have some real fun!"

With that, he broke into a run, Tamaki having to keep up lest he be dragged, and Naru and Elissa again following in their wake.

**  
Tamaki didn't know how far they ran, but to his immense shock and fear, Hoki had actually brought them straight onto the grounds of Ouran Academy. He could only wonder if it was fate or just a cruel coincidence that Hoki would pick this particular location for his special brand of 'fun'.

The enormous clock tower was fully visible from the window he was looking through, showing the time as 4:02 pm. Not that he needed it to know school was over, the students cramping the hallways preparing to leave or attend after school activities was evidence enough.

"Just look at all these rich people!" Hoki was speaking like a teacher to his students. "Born with silver coins in their mouths or however that saying goes. To the little guy, they look like Gods; really snotty Gods who think they're better than you because they have fancy cars and gold plated false teeth."

"Nobody has gold plated teeth, you cretin." Elissa deadpanned.

"Pirates do," Hoki responded childishly. "So kid, having fun yet?"

Tamaki just looked at him with an unreadable expression. "How is this fun? I come here every day."

Hoki blinked, confused. Then for the first time since they'd met, gave Tamaki a full once over, and gasped when he realized Tamaki was wearing an Ouran Uniform.

"Holy Crap, you're a richie too?" The ghost shouted.

"A… richie?" Tamaki repeated.

"Yeah, you know, a rich guy." Hoki elaborated. "Got lots of money, dough, moolah!"

Hoki rubbed his thumb against his middle and index finger for emphasis.

"Oh," Tamaki said with understanding. "Well, yes, I am… or was anyway."

"Man, I can't believe you died in your uniform," The older ghost said with a sympathetic look. "It'll never come off now, but I guess it can't be helped. Time for fun!"

He zipped away from Tamaki and down the hall, where he stopped in front of an overweight girl Tamaki recognized from her constant visits to the Host Club. She was chatting with some friends, and Tamaki only heard the middle of their conversation as he, Naru and Elissa caught up with Hoki.

"…this new place in town that serves great sashimi," One girl was saying.

"That sounds awesome," the overweight girl answered. "We should totally check it out!"

"Oh please, like you need anymore food," Hoki commented loudly. This earned him a glare from Elissa and an offended gasp from Tamaki.

"How can you say that?" Tamaki cried. "That's so rude."

"She can't hear me," Hoki argued. "And it's not like I'm lying, just look at her bag. She's got like five muffins stuffed in there."

"It doesn't matter," Tamaki answered angrily. "You should still never talk to a lady like that."

Hoki sighed with annoyance, "Fine, we'll do a guy then."

He walked away from the girl and approached a young couple standing by the window.

"I have tennis in five minutes," the girl was saying. "Will you wait for me so we can go home together?"

The boy smiled lovingly, "Of course, I'd never leave you alone for longer than I have to. I love you so much."

"I love you, too." The girl said as they kissed.

"LIIIIIIARS!" Hoki sang. If the couple could hear them, the mood would have been completely ruined. Something Tamaki was well aware of.

"What are you doing?" he raged.

Hoki didn't react to his new friend's anger beyond a shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm just calling them like I see them," he answered. "I've come around here a few times before. That guy there is macking on a girl in his science class behind the scenes, and that girl as going at it with his older brother. Match made heaven, ain't it?"

Tamaki opened his mouth and closed it again, then opened it again, "That doesn't make it okay."

Hoki glanced behind him for some reason, then looked back at Tamaki.

"Alright, I didn't just come here for this. I'm also here to help you." he explained.

At this, Tamaki grew confused. "Help me what?"

"I know you were saying before about wanting to talk to your old friends. However, being deader than everyone here, I really can't help with that. I can however, help you with something else. I know that there are other people you'd probably like to have a word with, but not friends, enemies."

Tamaki gasped softly, "B-but I don't have enemies."

"Oh come on, there must be someone around here who's screwed you over or otherwise just been a total jerk," Hoki said with slight exasperation. "That's a great thing about being a ghost, you can tell them everything you've always wanted to, and they can't even hear it. It doesn't hurt anyone, it's just venting! There's gotta be someone here. What about that girl, she looks pretty bitchy."

Tamaki was about to admonish Hoki for that, when he realized who the ghost was talking about. A bright red haired young woman he hadn't seen in months.

"Ayanokoji!" He exclaimed. "I banned her from the Host Club."

" _Host Club?_ " Elissa said with a slightly scandalized look.

Naru on the other hand, just looked confused.

Hoki ignored them both and grinned at Tamaki.

"Well she must've done something pretty bad to make you ban her, so go tell what for!"

Hoki pushed Tamaki towards the oblivious girl. Tamaki stopped directly behind her, and glanced nervously back at the other ghosts. Hoki was grinning and motioning for him to go on. Tamaki turned back around, his eyes on the girl's long, straight hair. It was true, there were a lot of things he'd wanted to say to her that day. She'd been so rude and mean towards Haruhi, how could he not? Perhaps then, there was something to this venting idea. Tamaki took a deep breath, Hoki and the others watching with anticipation.

"Ayanokoji," he began. "You were very rude to Haruhi. You should have apologized to her for what you did, but since I know you never will, you won't ever be allowed back in the Host Club. We don't need such immaturity in our establishment."

With that, Tamaki turned on a heel and walked back to his new friends.

"How was that?" he asked with a giddy smile.

"…not exactly what I was going for." Hoki answered with a dull look.

Tamaki gave a shrug of his own, scanning the halls for other people he might know. His eyes soon caught a young woman who, for a moment, he was sure he'd never seen before. She had black hair down to her lower back with one section of it up in a small bun. Her brown eyes looked straight ahead and red dots were visible across her cheeks. She walked quietly down the hall towards the doors, school bag in hand.

He recognized her as the girl in his class who'd closed the window earlier that day. 'Kita-san', the teacher had called her. He felt like there was something else though, some other place he'd seen her before. It wasn't the Host Club, he'd have recognized her right away if that were the case. So where?

_"If you want to help me so much, look were you're going next time, idiot!"_

Oh yeah, that was it.

The memory now fresh in his mind, Tamaki found himself walking towards her, while behind him, Hoki silently cheered him on. He moved directly behind the girl, walking at the same pace so he wouldn't lose track of her.

"Hello, Kita-san," he greeted her, despite knowing she couldn't hear him. "I just wanted to say that I felt you were very rude to me yesterday."

Wait, was it even yesterday? He still didn't know how long he'd been dead for. Shaking those thoughts away, Tamaki continued as the girl quickened her pace a bit.

"I didn't mean to bump into you, and I'm sorry it happened in the first place. Usually I'm more coordinated than that…"

So busy talking was he, Tamaki didn't even notice the girl's free hand clench into a fist.

"…I don't know if maybe you were having a bad day or just in a sour mood, but a little bit of politeness would've been appreciated…"

Her eye twitched.

"…I'm sure you're a very nice person when one gets to know you…"

She bit her lip.

"…you have nice eyes, and your face would be very pretty with a little acne cream-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, SUOH!"

Tamaki stopped dead in his tracks. Had the hall been empty, her words probably would've echoed the way they did in his disbelieving mind. She had whirled completely around, anger filled eyes looking right were he was standing. Somewhere behind them, a small smile appeared on Hoki's face.

"Y-you," Tamaki stuttered at her. _"You can hear me?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Tamaki has made some friends, but what will happen to his living ones?


	4. Ghost Talker's Nightmare!

It seemed no one had been fazed by Kita-san's shouting, at least not enough to give her more than a weird glance as they passed anyway. They could see the black haired girl's anger fade into shock, but not the spirit gazing back at her with an equal expression.

"Y-you," Tamaki stammered. "You can hear me?"

These words seemed to jolt the girl out of her stupor. She spared him no second glance as she turned on a heel and half walked, half ran away from him. Tamaki stood dumbfounded for a moment, until he realized that his newfound connection to the living was quickly getting lost in the mass of students, and sprang into action.

"Wait, come back!"

He tore after her, running through students without a care for anything except finding that girl. With Hoki, Elissa and Naru on his tail, Tamaki raced around, frantically searching until he finally found her near the main doorway.

"Come back!" He called again. "You can hear me, I know you can!"

He broke into a run. Behind him, Elissa scooped Naru into her arms since the little girl couldn't keep up. Tamaki zeroed in on the girl, and without thinking, leaped directly in front of her, making her yelp in surprise.

Tamaki beamed triumphantly, "So you can see and hear me!"

"Get away from me." The girl said through grit teeth and she stormed right through him and out the front door.

Tamaki wasted no time in following, determined not to let her out of his sight again.

"Hey," He called. "Wait, Kita-san! I need to talk to you!"

The girl was almost running now, but Tamaki kept up and eventually stood himself in front of her yet again. This time, she stopped, and once again she looked enraged.

"Just leave me alone, Suoh," She said loud enough for him to hear, but not so loud that passer-by would hear her talking to the air. "I'm not talking to you."

"But why?" Tamaki asked, exasperatedly. "You're a spirit medium, right? You have an amazing gift, you should use it to-"

"I _do_ use it," the girl interrupted. "I use it to help the souls of the _dead_ , not you."

Tamaki blinked, confusion rising within him, "What does that mean?"

"Just go away, Suoh. Go back to your body."

With those cryptic words, the girl walked around him and headed towards a waiting limousine.

Tamaki, however, would not be deterred.

"Kita-san, please!" He shouted desperately. "Kita-san… oh, this would be easier if I knew your first name."

"Well, that's too bad." The girl said without turning around. "I'm not talking to you anymore, and I'm not telling you _anything,_ especially not my na-"

"MIYAKO-CHAN!"

Both parties looked up. Tamaki with interest, the girl with annoyance, as another dark haired girl, this one in her early to mid twenties with her hair up in a high ponytail, ran over from the limo.

"Hey, Miyako," she addressed Kita-san. "Why are you just standing here? Your dad's expecting you early today. You hear me, Miyako? Hello, Miyako? _Earth to Miyakooo!"_

The newly dubbed 'Miyako' had been silently listening to the older woman, smoldering with barely repressed rage. She glanced over at Tamaki, who smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

"Miyako is a very pretty name," He told her cheerfully.

Miyako's eyes narrowed, as she looked away and back at the newcomer.

"Let's just go, Rika." She said curtly.

As she walked briskly to the car, Rika's face showing mild confusion.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, running to catch up with the other girl. "You were in a much better mood this morning. Did something happen at school today?"

Rika then stepped closer to Miyako and leaned in towards her ear.

"Or is it another g-h-o-s-t?" She whispered.

Unfortunately for Miyako, Tamaki heard this.

"Another?" he repeated. "So I'm not the only one? You ARE a medium."

"Come ON, Rika!" Miyako said firmly as she grabbed the woman's arm and guided her to the waiting limousine.

Of course, Tamaki wasn't far behind.

"Miyako," he called out to her. "Can you at least tell me why you don't want to talk to me?"

At this, the girl whirled around again.

"I already explained this to you, Suoh." She said. "I help dead people, as in 'people whose lives have ended'. I do not talk to people who are lying in a hospital bed and having some sort of extended Out-Of-Body experience, go back to your body and leave me alone."

She turned right back around, not even waiting for a response and stepped into the car. It drove away not two seconds later, but Tamaki didn't follow. He stood in silence, the other three ghosts waiting for him to say or do something.

"That was weird," Hoki commented, more to himself than anyone else. "She's usually pretty nice. It must be because you brought up her acne. Whenever someone does that, she starts acting like the angry midget from Fullmetal Alchemist."

Tamaki didn't hear any of that, nor Elissa's inevitable response of, "Silence, Cretin!"

At the moment, he was completely lost in the words he'd just heard. It didn't even bother him that the only living person who was aware of his existence wanted nothing to do with him. All he could think about was the last thing she'd said to him.

Hospital bed?

Out of body experience?

Could it be?

**  
Miyako remained completely silent the entire drive home, something that greatly bothered both the driver and Rika. The latter eventually cleared her throat to speak.

"What was that all about?" Rika asked the younger girl.

Miyako sighed and opened her eyes.

"It's nothing, Rika. Don't worry about it."

"You called that ghost 'Suoh'," Rika would not be deterred. "Was it the Chairman's son?"

"But I thought he wasn't dead," the driver piped up.

"He's not," Miyako confirmed. "Believe me, Kenji, if he was, his horde of fan girls would throw an even bigger fit than when they announced he was comatose."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," answered Kenji. "Have they gotten all the broken windows replaced yet?"

The question went unanswered as Rika focused again on the recent events.

"Miyako," she started. "Don't you think you should do something for him? I know you were lying when you said you wouldn't help someone like him."

"I've never seen anyone like him." Miyako responded with a shake of her head. "He's been in a coma for two months, and now suddenly his spirit shows up right out of the blue. He's either dying or I don't know as much about ghosts as I thought I did."

Rika nodded, "But if he were anyone else, you would help him, wouldn't you Miyako."

The black haired girl's fist clenched, and she gazed at Rika with anger and hurt in her eyes.

"I can't forgive him, Rika," She said in a low voice. "I can't and I won't forgive him for what he did."

**  
"I'm alive?" Tamaki muttered to himself. "I'm alive?"

"Uh, kid?" Hoki said, waving his hand in the blonde's face for the umpteenth time. "You alright?"

"What's wrong with him, Mr. Hoki?" asked Naru, as she fidgeted her way out of Elissa's grasp.

Hoki shrugged, "No idea, kid. He keeps muttering something, but I can't really hear I- ARGH!"

Tamaki grabbed Hoki, cutting him off mid sentence. The next thing Hoki knew, the blonde's deliriously happy face was practically shoved into his.

"I'M ALIVE!" Tamaki screamed as he spun himself and a still befuddled Hoki around.

"I'M NOT DEAD, I'M NOT DEAD!" He dropped Hoki and picked up Naru spinning her around as well. Unlike Hoki, she was much more receptive of the action and squealed happily as he held her high in the air.

"I'M ALIVE!"

Hoki edged over to Elissa, who was watching the display with a surprised but happy expression.

"You know," Hoki muttered through the side of his mouth. "I have this striking suspicion the kid's still alive."

"I can't believe this." Tamaki's high seemed to have come down a bit, but his face was still one of absolute joy. "I was so afraid I'd never be able to see my friends and family again, but now I know that I can. I mean, sure, I'm probably in a coma or something, but it's better than being dead!"

"I resent that," Hoki murmured to himself.

"I just wish Miyako had told me more," Tamaki continued to talk to himself. "Why is she so angry with me in the first place? I've never even met her before… have I?"

A laugh rang out. It didn't belong to Tamaki, Naru or any of the other ghosts, and if Tamaki didn't whip his head in it's direction with rapt attention, none of them would've acknowledged it any further.

Tamaki looked in the direction the laugh came from. It was a high, childish laugh, but he knew right away that the person it had emitted from was definitely not a child. Lo and behold, a small boy came into his line of sight. He walking beside a much taller young man, and held a pink stuffed bunny tightly in his arms.

"Hunny-senpai!" Tamaki shouted.

He ran to his fellow Hosts, the ghosts following yet again.

The third year student was predictably walking beside his cousin, Mori-senpai. The tall teenager was carrying a basket with a sheet over it, obstructing it's contents from view.

"Do you think Tama-chan will like his present?" Hunny-senpai asked brightly. "You know, when he wakes up."

"Yeah," Mori answered with a nod.

"As long as it's not cake again, it should be fine, Hunny-senpai."

Tamaki watched as Hikaru and Kaoru entered the scene, followed closely by Kyoya and-

"Haruhi…" Tamaki whispered.

She looked as lovely and adorable as ever. Haruhi quietly walked over to Kyoya's limousine and waited for the others to follow her. Tamaki was thrilled to see his beloved daughter again, until he noticed her face.

Ever since they'd met, Haruhi would usually display one of two emotions: adorable confusion, or frightening annoyance. At times, she would grace her fellow hosts with a genuine smile, and it was those times when she was the most beautiful. As Tamaki looked at the younger girl, he saw none of those emotions on her face.

Instead, all he saw was sadness. Not only her face, but her movements as well showed little more than melancholy. Tamaki managed to tear his eyes away for a moment to study his other friends.

"You did call ahead to let them know we were coming, right Kyoya-senpai?" Hikaru (or was it Kaoru?) was saying.

Kyoya nodded, "They are aware and will give us privacy. We're lucky my father owns the hospital, they normally don't let anyone in during non-visiting hours."

"Well, if you didn't…" Hikaru began.

"…we'd just use our wily charms to make them give us extra time," finished a similarly smirking Kaoru.

Kyoya didn't respond to their antics with anything more than a roll of his eyes.

For some reason, the scene bothered Tamaki. It seemed so normal, and yet… something was missing. It was as if some sort of spark had gone out, and now their previously amusing behavior felt empty and forced. As subtle as it was, Tamaki felt sick watching it. He wanted to turn his eyes back on Haruhi, but realized that it would only make him feel worse.

Suddenly, his previous joy at being alive faded, and was replaced with a frightening realization. Even if he wasn't dead, his body was still been lying in a hospital bed for what appeared to have been quite a while. He could die for real at any time, and worst of all, al his friends were suffering the agony of wondering whether or not he would ever wake up. From the look on Haruhi's face, she was feeling the worst out of all of them, and somehow, he knew in his heart the exact reason why.

It had been her house he'd been walking to.

"Haruhi…" he trailed off. It didn't matter what he said anyway, she'd never hear it.

The group got into the limousine, and drove away moments later. Tamaki didn't waste another second in following them.

"Come on," He called to the other ghosts. "I know what hospital they're going to."

"I don't like hospitals…" he heard Naru whimper as Elissa picked her up once again.

As they ran, Tamaki's thoughts remained on Haruhi, and the words he would have said to her, if only she could hear them.

_'It's not your fault.'_


	5. Visit To Ootori Medical Center!

_TWO MONTHS EARLIER_

_Haruhi set the kitchen timer for fifteen minutes. Her father would be home in twenty, giving her just enough time to finish dinner and set the table. By the time she completed that task, there were eight more minutes before the food was ready, so she sat down in the living room and grabbed a book she'd been reading._

_She had just opened the book to her marked page when she heard it. Tires screeching, someone screaming, and a dull, sickening thud followed by even more shouting._

_Haruhi sat straight up, she could just make out someone shouting for an ambulance. She stood and looked out the window. A crowd of people had formed very quickly, so from her vantage point, she couldn't see who'd been hit. She could, however, see the truck resting with one wheel up on the curb and the driver's side door partially opened._

_She felt a wave of sympathy for whoever had been hit. Today really wasn't a good day at all. First the train accident, now this. Most of the crowd was just staring at the victim like he or she was a side show attraction, but it seemed someone had the sense to call for help in the midst of it all, as sirens could soon be heard coming closer and closer._

_When the ambulance arrived, Haruhi stepped outside onto the balcony. For a moment, she felt a twinge of fear that her father, who would sometimes walk home from work, had been the one hit, but she brushed it aside. The odds of it being someone she knew were a million to one._

_She watched a few of the medics go to see about the truck driver, but the majority busied themselves with the real victim. Haruhi sighed, she could only hope that whoever it was, they would pull through. Being hit by a truck wasn't something one could just walk away from._

_She watched for one more second as the attendants loaded the person onto a stretcher and then turned to walk back inside. There wasn't anything she could do to help after all._

_Then she saw a shock of yellow out the corner of her eye. She turned back around, and her eyes found a familiar blonde dressed in a familiar Ouran uniform. Haruhi didn't quite remember what happened after that. The next thing she knew, she was in the ambulance, holding Tamaki's hand and watching as a medic wiped the blood away from a cut on his head._

**  
The ride to the Hospital was always silent. Everywhere else, they acted as if nothing had changed. The twins clowned around; Hunny jabbered on about cake; Kyoya made remarks about adding this or that to her debt; it was almost like everything was normal. It was the twenty minute limousine rides they'd take once a day every day, when they'd let it be known only to themselves that everything was not normal.

In the last two months, they'd fallen into a routine together. They went to the hospital right after school, stayed for two hours on week days, and often longer on weekends. When they separated, Haruhi would go home with either Kyoya, Hikaru and Kaoru, or Hunny and Mori. The train lines had long since gotten up and running again, and Haruhi continued to ride them in the morning. Except now she would always find the five of them waiting when she got there and walked the rest of the way with her. It would normally annoy her, and still did to a degree, but she understood why they were doing it.

They were all afraid of finding another one of their own in a hospital bed, or even worse…

There hadn't been a Host Club meeting since the accident. The day after the announcement was made, the six of them made the unanimous decision to put the club on hold until Tamaki was better. None of them wanted to bring up the idea of outright disbanding the club, not as long as their was a chance.

Haruhi kept her gaze at the passing buildings as she had every other ride in the last two months. During these twenty minutes, she'd found she could never look her friends in the eye, or at all. She knew it was illogical, but she always feared in these moments that they held the same feelings she did on who was to blame for all this.

She fisted the fabric of her shirt as those awful thoughts arose in her once more.

He'd been walking to her house. That had to be it, there'd be no other reason for him to be in her neighborhood alone. He'd been coming to see her and he'd been hit by a truck. Now he lying in a hospital room on the verge of death.

Was it her fault?

The rational part of her mind said 'no'. She couldn't have known he'd do something like this, and the truck driver had been drunk. If anything, it should be hisfault.

But the part of her mind that kept her awake at night with visions of his broken body on the stretcher, would always whisper in her ear what a stupid question that was.

She already knew the answer.

**  
Tamaki, Hoki, Elissa and Naru didn't arrive at the hospital for some time after they started running. It seemed being ghosts didn't afford them any enhanced speed. It did, however, enable them to run without losing any breath, and so they didn't have to pause for a moment before sprinting through the double doors of Ootori Medical Center.

"This place is nice looking, for a hospital," Hoki commented as he observed the high ceiling and newly painted walls.

"Okay," Tamaki said to himself. "Now we just have to find my room."

"How?" Hoki asked.

Tamaki opened his mouth to answer… and then realized he didn't have one. Hoki looked like he was about to laugh, but a smack from Elissa shut him up. Tamaki thought about ways to find the room number and lamented that he hadn't met any ninja ghosts, they might have some ideas.

He glanced over at the reception area, they'd have his room number in their computers, wouldn't they? The only problem was that he still had no way of getting it. He doubted ghosts could use computers.

Then he noticed two girls enter the building, and his eyes lit up.

"I know those two," he exclaimed, pointing at them. "They're some of my most frequent customers!"

"Customers… at your Host Club?" Elissa asked with a hint of disgust that Tamaki didn't catch.

"Of course! They must be here to see me, we'll just follow them to my room!"

He and the ghosts got closer so they could hear what was being said. One of the girls was trying to get the receptionist attention and succeeded on the second try.

"May I help you?" the woman asked politely.

"We're here to see Tamaki Suoh," the first girl said.

"We brought him some presents." the second one held a gift wrapped box up for the woman to see.

She remained impassive.

"I'm sorry, but only authorized visitors are allowed to see Mr. Suoh." She explained.

The girls' shoulder's drooped, and Tamaki suddenly felt the need to pay his corner a visit. Only the timely arrival of a familiar young man stopped him.

"If you girl's would like," Kyoya cut in. "I can bring your gifts to Tamaki's room myself, and let him know that you were kind enough to visit."

The girls brightened a bit, but they were clearly still sad that they couldn't see Tamaki themselves. They both thanked Kyoya in earnest, handed him their gifts and walked back out the way they came. Tamaki, meanwhile, looked like he could've kissed Kyoya.

"Is that boy a friend of yours?" Elissa asked.

Tamaki nodded. "He's my best friend."

They followed Kyoya down the hall and into the elevator. The button Kyoya pressed told them that Tamaki's body was on a very high floor, giving him ample time to go from excited to unsure to apprehensive about seeing his body. Who knew what kind of condition it was in. Maybe his face was horribly scarred beyond recognition. Maybe he'd lost an arm or a leg. Maybe he'd-

"Hey kid!" Hoki shouted, jolting Tamaki out of his thoughts. "Don't look so glum. You're about to rejoin your body after all."

"Do you really think I'll be able to?" Tamaki asked.

"Absolutely!" Hoki cried, puffing out his chest like a superhero. "…you know, maybe."

"Just think, you'll probably see all your friends again up there," Elissa pitched in.

Tamaki nodded. "I suppose… but I won't be able to talk to them. What if Haruhi is there? She must be so lonely and scared without me."

At this, Hoki's face broke out in a cheeky grin.

"Say, is Haruhi the girl you were going to see when you got hit?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tamaki answered, his face taking on a dreamy expression as he recalled Haruhi's lovely face and adorable smile. "Oh my darling Haruhi, she must be so lonely without me!"

"You guys are pretty close then, eh?" Hoki said, his grin growing.

"Of course, she's such a beautiful young woman. She's smart and cute and looks adorable no matter what she's wearing."

"Oh, reaaaaally?" Hoki asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "I've bet you've seen her in a lot of adorableoutfits."

"Well of course," Tamaki answered. "She doesn't like dressing up much, but when she does, my heart just soars. Even when she's annoyed with me, she's just so beautiful, my dear daughter."

"Yea-ah, your dear- did you say daughter?" Hoki's teasing tone vanished in the blink of an eye.

Tamaki didn't notice, and sighed at the mental images of Haruhi's adorableness, while behind him, Elissa raised an eyebrow and Hoki's expression grew horrified.

"YOU MEAN WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOUR _DAUGHTER_ THIS WHOLE TIME?"

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Tamaki followed Kyoya out while the ghosts kept their pace behind him. Tamaki didn't know why, but Hoki was dazedly muttering the word 'daughter' under his breath as they walked down the hall.

Kyoya stopped near the end of the hallway and a guard opened the door for him. Tamaki's hospital room was quite spacious, and he was clearly the only occupant. A curtain covered an area in the corner where his bed probably was. When he saw it, Tamaki felt the fear grip him once more, but he fought to ignore it.

To his immense relief, the other Host Club members where standing outside the curtain, clearly waiting for Kyoya's return. And among them, was-

"Haruhi…" Tamaki said under his breath.

It was just loud enough to be heard by the ghost, including Hoki, who once again looked confused.

"Wait, that's Haruhi?"

He pointed at the girl Tamaki was gazing at, and he nodded.

"Yes, isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?" He gushed, his fear momentarily forgotten.

There was a beat, and then Hoki let out a laugh and wrapped an arm around the unprepared Tamaki.

"Oh boy, kid," Hoki said loudly. "You really had me going there with all that 'daughter' stuff. I mean, for a minute I actually thought that she really wasyour daughter. Man, you are funny."

"And why is that?" Tamaki felt a bit affronted. "She may not be my daughter by blood, but she's like a daughter to me!"

Hoki raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" He asked. "She's the most beautiful girl you've ever seen, you like seeing her in 'adorable' outfits, you turn into what would be a blushing, blubbering mess whenever you think about her… all because she's like a daughter to you."

"That's right!"

"…uh huh." Was Hoki's incredulous response.

The curtain pulled away, and a woman in traditional doctor garb stepped out.

"I'm finished with his check up," she addressed the Host Club. "There are no changes, but you're free to see him now for as long as you want."

"Do you have any idea yet when he'll wake up?" This was Kaoru.

The doctor frowned solemnly, and shook her head.

"I'm afraid I don't know at this point." She said. "I know you don't want me to sugar coat it for you, it's just not looking good."

Standing behind them, Tamaki couldn't see how his friends reacted to that, but he knew how hefelt. His heart was slowly dropping again, and he suddenly felt very aware of his lack of a pulse.

The doctor gave them one final nod and walked out the door. Meanwhile, a nurse began pulling the curtain back. At that moment, Tamaki wanted more than anything to look away, but he forced his head to stay in place as the bed, and his body, were fully revealed.

**  
It didn't look like the Tamaki Haruhi remembered..

According to the doctors, he'd gotten lucky physically. A minor fracture in his arm and some moderate cuts and bruises on his head, neck and torso. His head had taken most of the blow, which was why he'd was currently in this bed.

Tubes were connected to his nose and mouth, his violet eyes were closed off to the world. Whenever Haruhi saw him, she believed that she was looking at a dummy, and not the real Tamaki Suoh. Because the real Tamaki wouldn't be lying in a sick bed like this. He'd be on his feet, charming some girls, planning new events and cosplays, being a sweet and lovable idiot, giving her a charming smile and then going off into the corner when she gave a sarcastic or oblivious response, holding her as they plunged into a river together, dancing with her, being more to her than she ever could have imagined without even knowing it…

…this was _not_ her Tamaki Suoh.

**  
There were so many things Tamaki wanted to say and do when he saw his body. He wanted to cry dramatically, go off into the corner, lament the cruelties of fate that his beauty would be tarnished in such a way.

That's what he would have done two months ago. It was amazing how quickly things could change.

Now, all he could do was stand rigid and stare with tearless eyes, a jumble of words were caught in his throat with no way out.

"You look sad," Naru whispered beside him.

He didn't know if she was talking about him or his body, but he could only nod his head and let two words slide from his lips.

"I know."

**  
Yuzuru Suoh looked over some paperwork while sipping coffee from his favorite mug. The room was empty, save for himself and his rather unwelcome guest. The only reason she hadn't been sent away like the servants was because it generally wasn't good manners to say what he desperately wanted to say to his mother right now.

"Are you listening, Yuzuru?" the Suoh Matriarch asked.

The middle aged man ignored her stern tone and simply gave a nod.

"I've spoken to his doctors," she continued. "The prognosis isn't good and it's getting worse every day. You need to be rational here, Yuzuru."

The papers flew from Yuzuru's hands, his barely repressed rage beginning to leak out, "Mother, forgive me, but this isn't some business deal or stock sale. You're asking me to _pull the plug on my son_. I can not just make a decision like that without time to think it over."

The elderly woman gave an annoyed sigh and stood up.

"Then think about it," she said, her voice firm with finality. "You're doing him no favors, keeping him lingering like this."

She approached the door and grasped the handle, but Yuzuru's voice stopped her.

"Has she been informed?"

His mother stilled, but didn't turn around.

"I know you know where she is, Mother," Yuzuru said, his voice hard as the anger began to take control. "She has the right to know about Tamaki's condition, she's his mother."

The silence was tense and palpable. Yuzuru didn't expect a straight answer, but the question needed to be asked anyway. His mother was one of the best liars he'd ever seen, but after years of watching her work, he knew how to tell the difference between her lies and her truths.

Not that it always helped him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered matter-of-factly.

The door closed behind her.

**  
"Please, my name must be on the list," the girl begged the receptionist, who was frankly getting tired of girls like this one trying to sneak into Mr. Suoh's room. "My name is Inoue Hasami, I'm his best customer! There's no way I wouldn't be allowed to see him!"

The girl before her looked just like the ones before her, desperate and scared for the young man slowly dying upstairs. The receptionist felt a twinge of sympathy in spite of her annoyance. She knew that if herboyfriend or a close friend had been in Mr. Suoh's place, she'd want to see them just as, if not more, badly than this girl and those like her.

Still, rules were rules, and the woman wasn't about to risk her job for a fan girl.

"I'm sorry," she said again in a much firmer voice. "You're name is not listed. Mr. Ootori has explicitly requested that from now on, only family members and close personal friends are allowed to see Mr. Suoh."

**SLAM**

The woman jumped, and shrunk back a bit as the formerly calm Hasami lost control of herself.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?" She screamed, getting everyone's attention. "THAT I'M NOT A CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND? I'M HIS BEST CUSTOMER! I TO SEE HIM EVERYDAY! I BRING HIM CAKE AND FINGER FOODS AND HE ALWAYS EATS THEM WITH A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE AND TELLS ME THEY'RE THE BEST HE'S EVER HAD! I LOVE HIM AND HE LOVES ME, SO HOW CAN YOU SAY I'M NOT A CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND?"

The woman shrunk back even further. She hadn't received a reaction even close to this from any of the other girls who tried to visit Tamaki Suoh, and frankly, it scared her quite a bit. Even so, she couldn't let this girl see that, she had to make her calm down and leaving quietly.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but I have my orders and I can't breach them. If I could send you up, I would, but Mr. Ootori wants Tamaki to be as undisturbed as possible so he can recover faster."

Obviously, the last part was a lie, but it seemed to appease Hasami somewhat. Her eyes maintain their wideness, but her breathing slowed and she stepped away from the desk.

"Yes, I suppose that makes sense," she said more to herself than anyone else. "Tamaki-sama needs lots of rest and relaxation so he can get well again. Then he can come back to school and I can make him more cakes and we can be happy…"

She continued muttering all the way out the door, and the receptionist made a mental note to inform the rest of the staff to watch out for Hasami Inoue.

**  
The remaining Hosts stayed for two hours, the whole time talking to Tamaki's body while his ghost stood off in the corner watching. Earlier, he'd attempted to rejoin his body at Hoki's prompting, but every time he sat down inside his solid form, he always sat back up, still a ghost, and still unseen by the living.

Several tries later, he was back to standing despondently with his new friends, watching as his live ones chatted about school and what was on TV the night before. It was almost normal. Almost…

At 6:00 sharp, Kyoya signaled that it was time to go. The other five stood up, and said goodbye to their fallen leader.

"Well, we'll see you tomorrow, Boss." Hikaru said with a sad smile.

"We'll bring you some more flowers," Kaoru gestured with his head at the ones on the window sill. "Those are about to wilt."

"I'll even bring you cake!" Hunny cheered.

"No cake," answered Mori, picking up Hunny and carrying him out.

Kyoya didn't give a farewell, he just walked silently out of the room, though Tamaki was sure he saw his best friend reaching for his face like he was going to adjust his glasses, but he didn't think that was why Kyoya was doing it this time.

Only Haruhi lingered. Tamaki wished more than anything he could call out to her and have her hear and respond.

_'It's not your fault.'_

She needed to hear that, he knew it for sure now. All throughout the visit, when he wasn't staring at his body, he was looking at her, at her eyes which brimmed with unshed tears. It broke his heart in halves, quarters, and eighths.

His poor, poor daughter.

"Goodnight Tamaki…"

Her voice cracked a bit, and as her feet began to move her to the door and into the hall, he could see the shine of her tears finally falling down her cheeks. If his heart could break any more thoroughly, it would have.

He stared at the door long after she'd closed it and left the room devoid of life save his own fading one. Tamaki didn't know what to do or think. He couldn't go back to his body, so did that mean he was going to die for real?

He heard a cough. The ghosts were waiting to see what he had to say. Tamaki turned to look at them, trying and failing to hide his sadness.

"Can you three please go outside?" He asked in what he hoped was a calm voice. "I'd like to be alone with my body for a few minutes."

Hoki looked like he was about to say something, and Naru was confused again. Luckily, Elissa was faster than them.

"Of course, Tamaki Love. Take all the time you need."

With one hand holding Naru's, she used the other to (somewhat violently) push Hoki towards the door. Tamaki thought he heard Hoki make another comment about his 'daughter', but he didn't really care at the moment.

Now alone, he stood beside the body he'd once inhabited. It felt so unreal, to be standing there, staring down at himself. The face before him was ashen, and his chest rose and fell ever so slightly. He found himself wondering if this was really him. If he had stomach functions, he thought he might vomit. This was becoming to much for him. Tamaki just wanted to close his eyes and open them again to find it had all really been a dream. But he knew too well this was all real.

The door opened with a loud squeak, drawing Tamaki's attention away from his morbid thoughts. A nurse stood in the doorway, staring at something or someone in the hallway and out of Tamaki's view.

"Visiting hours ended twenty minutes ago… sir." She sounded unsure for some reason. "I can give you maybe five minutes with him, but nothing more."

"That's fine," a male voice said. "I'll only need a few minutes anyway."

Tamaki gasped softly. He knew that voice the moment he heard it, he just couldn't believe that of all people, hewould really come to visit him. Alone even.

And yet here he was. Ranka Fujioka, in all his transvestite glory.

He made his way to the bed while the nurse gently closed the door behind him. The red headed cross dresser looked just as Tamaki remembered him. He even had the same hard look on his face, reserved only for Tamaki, his self proclaimed 'enemy'.

The tranny did nothing but stare at the comatose boy for the first couple of seconds, leaving the spirit to wait with growing tension for his daughter figure's birth father to say something.

Ranka gave a loud sigh and closed his eyes.

"You know something, Suoh?" he said to the body. "When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me that I should never judge someone by my first impression of them, because they're almost always wrong. I've tried my best to live by that principle, and even though I said when we first met that you were my enemy, I didn't make a real judgment of you until I got to know you a little better. You see, Suoh, my first impression of you was that you were a complete and total idiot."

Behind him, the ghostly Tamaki did a face fault.

"But, like I said, I waited a while to see if there was more to you than that, and as I got to know you better, I found that my first impression of you…"

Tamaki stood back up and waited in anticipation.

"…was absolutely right on the money. You're just so stupid. You're an idiot, your brain doesn't function correctly, you're very dumb."

Tamaki felt as though Ranka's words were literally attacking him as he descended into his corner.

Despite this, Ranka words weren't malicious, in fact, he followed them up with a smile.

"And I suppose that's why I disliked you so much," his voice became wistful. "I've always known that my Haruhi was independent minded. It's one of her best qualities, and at the same time, one of her worst. That's why I'm so grateful that she found your Host Club…"

Tamaki slowly stood up from the corner, his melancholy replaced with wonder as he listened to the frightening tranny pour his heart out to the prone body.

"She's finally learned that it's okay to lean on others sometimes. I always wished I'd be the one to teach her that, but I guess I just wasn't reliable enough."

Ranka took a deep breath and then let it go.

"I've made a lot of mistakes as a parent. When Kotoko died, I nearly lost myself in grief. Haruhi's the only thing that kept me going. She's all I have left. So I don't know what depresses me more: that one day, I'll have to give her up, or that out of all men in the world, _you'll_ be the one to take her from me."

"Huh?" Tamaki was completely taken aback. What on earth did Ranka mean by _that?_

"I should've seen it coming. Even at the beginning, the way she talked about you, the way she talked toyou… was slightly different than with the others. I know it was the same for you, you don't hide it very well at all. This 'father daughter' thing of yours is ridiculous. I don't know why you won't see your feelings for what they truly are, but then I suppose it won't matter if you just keep laying in this bed.

"That's the real reason I came here today, Suoh. Believe me, if I wanted a heart to heart I'd have gone to see my friends and not you."

At this, Ranka leaned close to Tamaki's face. He suddenly looked rather angry.

"Now listen up, Suoh." he muttered so softly, the spirit Tamaki had to strain to listen. "Haruhi is _miserable_. She tries to hide it, but I know she is. If she's not studying or cooking dinner, she's visiting you or researching your condition. Seeing you like this is killing her, so I'm going to give you two options: you can either wake up now and make her happy again… or you can die. She'll be sad, but eventually she'll accept it and move on with her life. She can't take this half way point anymore, Suoh. None of them can."

The following silence was more deafening than any Tamaki had ever experienced. Ranka's eyes remained on his body, like he expected Tamaki to sit right up on his orders. When it didn't happen, the tranny gave a sigh and stood up.

He left without another word, and once again, Tamaki was alone. Ranka's words were repeating in his head over and over again, and it made him feel sick.

Of course Haruhi was suffering. Why wouldn't she be? And he couldn't blame her father for giving him that ultimatum. As Haruhi's father figure, he'd have done the same thing in a heartbeat.

What he didn't understand though, was why Ranka seemed to think he didn't understand his feelings for Haruhi. He understood them perfectly well! He wanted to protect her from harm and hold her during thunderstorms. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever known and he wanted her to know that always. She made him so happy he almost couldn't stand it, and when she was sad, so was he, because her tear filled eyes were the most hellish sight in the world.

He'd never denied these things, because this was how a father _should_ feel about his daughter.

Still, he found himself rather confused all of a sudden, and he wondered why it now felt almost _wrong_ to call Haruhi his daughter.


	6. Tamaki's Persuasion and Miyako's Anger!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway to the end now.

Three floors down from Tamaki, a group of four sat around the bed of a five year old girl who was looking increasingly antsy. One of the four was another little girl, completely identical to the bedridden one in both looks and boredom.

"I wanna go out and play!" the girl in the bed whined. "Aren't I better yet?"

The child's father smiled, "I know you're bored, sweetie, but the doctor wants you to stay in bed for another few days."

She 'hmph-ed' and crossed her arms. The girl's mother took his opportunity to speak up.

"Just think of it this way, Yomiko, the more you stay in bed now, the faster you'll be all better and get to come home."

Yomiko seemed to think about this for a second, then begrudgingly nodded her head and laid back down.

"Hey daddy," the other twin, whose name was Yoko, piped up. "Where's Nee-chan?"

This question got Yomiko up once again.

"Yeah, I want Nee-chan!" she cheered.

At this, the father looked thoughtful, "I've actually been wondering that myself."

He turned to the final occupant of the room, an elderly woman dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono and with her pure white hair held in a tight bun.

"Where is my eldest daughter, Mrs. Noda?" the man asked.

"I spoke with Kenji-kun on the phone a few minutes ago, Shinji-san." Mrs. Noda answered. "He said he'd be arriving with her shortly."

"Actually, I'm here now."

Everyone turned at the sound of the new voice. Yomiko and Yoko's eyes lit up and they both spoke their sister's name at the exact same time.

"Miyako Nee-chan!"

The high school girl smiled as she stood in front of her younger sister's bed.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to change and pick up a few things. How are you feeling, Yomiko?"

The girl frowned and shook her head.

"I wanna go home, Nee-chan. Can you make the doctors let me go?"

"I wish I could," Miyako answered in a sincere tone. "You must be pretty bored, stuck in here, huh?"

Yomiko nodded sadly.

Miyako's frown turned into a warm smile as she pulled a bag out from behind her back.

"Well, maybe this will help you feel a little better."

The twins watched with wide eyed wonder as their older sister opened the bag and pulled out two stuffed toys. Then they gave excited gasps.

"Sailor Mercury!"

The twins shouts were accompanied by Yomiko particularly springing out of bed (much to her parents chagrin), and Yoko jumping out of her chair. Both girls reached for the two identical plushies and were rewarded when Miyako handed one to each of them.

"What do you say girls?" the young mother prompted her children.

"Thank you, Miyako Nee-chan." the twins chorused.

"That's a limited edition doll, isn't it?" Mrs. Noda questioned.

Miyako nodded. "It's the only one they were missing. They've been collecting those Sailor Senshi dolls ever since they started watching the show."

"Oh, what a good older sister my Miyako is, working so hard to make her litter sisters happy. I'M SO PROUD!" Shinji Kita gushed, wrapping his arms around the somewhat unwilling Miyako.

Beside him, his wife nodded and took an casual step forward. By now, Miyako's father had let the teenager go, leaving step-mother and step-daughter in the middle of an awkward staring contest.

"It was very nice of you, Miyako-chan."

Miyako's eye twitched, but she forced the smile to stay on her face.

"Thank you, Kyung-san."

From there, no other words were exchanged between Miyako and Kyung. For the next hour, Miyako listened to her half-siblings talk about their favorite Sailor Moon episodes and characters, and also helped them figured out what they would do with their Senshi dolls now that their individual collections were complete.

At 6:00, Shinji insisted Miyako go home and get her homework done. The twins didn't take this very well at all.

"Can't you stay longer?" Yoko pleaded as both girl gave their sister wide eyed, frowning faces.

"Sorry guys, but Dad's right," Miyako told them gently. "I promise I'll come visit you again tomorrow, Yomiko, and I'll see you later at home, Yoko."

The girls, though still sad, accepted this and each gave Miyako one more hug before she left.

"I love you guys." Miyako said as she pulled away from them.

"We love you too, Miyako Nee-chan!"

Outside, Rika and Kenji sat in the floor's waiting room. They stood when they noticed Miyako approaching and together began walking to the elevator.

"Did the girls like the dolls?" Kenji asked.

Miyako nodded, "They were ecstatic."

"Of course they were," Rika commented while they stopped in front of the elevator and Kenji pressed the down button. "The way they go on about Sailor Moon this and Sailor Moon that. The other maids keep telling about how they're always cleaning up drawings of Sailor Moon or one of the cats or-"

"Oh CRAP!"

Rika stopped. While she was talking, the elevator had opened to reveal a completely empty car. Miyako, however, suddenly jumped back when the space inside became visible, and to Kenji and Rika's confusion, now looked shocked and angry.

"Oh no," she then said loudly, her eyes still on the elevator. "Get away from me."

The young girl turned and walked quickly down the hall away from the elevators. Her driver and her maid where left standing there for only another moment, before they both tore after her. Clearly that elevator had only been empty to _their_ eyes.

**  
"So let me see if I got this, " Hoki was saying. "Your girl's father wants you to either wake up or die, because your girl is completely depressed without you. And you don't think she's your 'girl', but rather your 'daughter', is that correct?"

Tamaki shrugged, unconsciously tapping his foot along to the relaxing elevator music while Naru entertained herself by trying to reach the buttons. "I don't see why that's so hard to believe. Ranka's always been rather temperamental."

"That's not really what's bothering me, kid."

Tamaki glanced from the floor to the male ghost.

"What do you mean?" he asked with genuine question.

Elissa took this opportunity to enter the conversation. "I believe the cretin here is curious about the nature of your relationship with this Haruhi. At least from your perspective."

"I don't see why that is," was Tamaki's answer. "Everyone is questioning it lately, but I know that I love her like a daughter, nothing more. Why is that hard to understand?"

There was no response, because at that moment, the elevator doors began to open. Tamaki knew they hadn't reached the lobby yet, so he turned to see who was entering the elevator car. The doors fully opened, and a familiar face appeared in his line of sight.

"Miyako?" he said in surprise and disbelief.

"Oh CRAP!"

Miyako jumped back, but Tamaki ignored her expression and walked toward her.

"Well, this is quite a coincidence, what are you doing here?"

"Oh no," Miyako responded angrily. "Get away from me."

She half walked, half ran in the other direction, Tamaki and the ghosts in pursuit.

"Wait!" Tamaki called out. It was like a repeat of earlier that day, and he still didn't understand why Miyako disliked him so much. It wasn't something he was used to.

"And you said she was nice." Elissa muttered at Hoki.

"She is," the male ghost responded with a shrug before glancing at Tamaki. "She must really hate you, kid."

Tamaki ignored them as he cornered Miyako at the other end of the hallway. Seeing she was at a dead end, Miyako changed tactics. She turned around and shot a glare at Tamaki, sending a chill down his spine. It seemed Miyako could be pretty scary when she wanted to be.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone." She said, her eyes still on Tamaki even as Kenji and Rika finally caught up with her.

"Is she talking to us, or the ghost?" Kenji discreetly asked his sister, who shushed him.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Tamaki answered. "And I almost didn't recognize you without your uniform anyway."

He motioned at Miyako's street clothes.

"I don't wear that dress outside of school, you know."

"Thank god for that, it looks terrible on you."

"Knock it off, Kenji."

"Look Suoh," Miyako adopted a forced calm tone. "I'm sorry that you're comatose, but I can't help you. What I do is help spirits fulfill their final wishes so they can go on to the afterlife. You aren't dead, and I have no idea why your spirit is suddenly out of your body. There's nothing I can do for you."

With that, she began walking up the hallway again, Kenji and Rika right behind her. Predictably, Tamaki still would not give up.

"Can't you at least help me talk to my friends?" He pleaded.

"No."

The abrupt answer left Tamaki completely taken aback, but didn't stop him from following her.

"Why not?" He practically yelled.

"Leave me alone, Suoh." She shouted back.

They reached the elevators again and got on an empty one. To Miyako's clear annoyance, Tamaki and the ghosts were still right behind her.

"Are you ever going to give up?" She asked him exasperatedly once the doors closed.

"I haven't found anyone else like you," Tamaki answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not only that, I'd like to know what I did to you so I can apologize."

She raised an eyebrow, "You honestly don't remember?"

Tamaki was at a loss, so he just sadly shook his head. Miyako's gaze became harder and her frown deepened. This clearly wasn't the answer she was looking for.

"If you can't remember, then you don't deserve my forgiveness."

Next to her, Rika frowned.

The elevator doors opened again to reveal the lobby, and everyone stepped out into it. Miyako, Kenji and Rika all headed to the exit. For a few minutes, Miyako almost thought Tamaki had finally given up. She turned her head to make sure, and almost jumped when she saw him and his friends right behind her. Giving an angry sigh, Miyako turned away and began fuming.

"You are incorrigible." She muttered.

"I want to know what I did wrong," Tamaki answered. "I feel terrible that you're mad at me. I'm going to try my hardest to remember what I did, then will you forgive me?"

Miyako didn't answer beyond a grumble as Kenji opened the door of the limousine for her to get in. She closed the door on her own, but half-expected Tamaki and his friends to come in anyway. She remained completely silent when they did, and the ride home was spent with Tamaki talking, Naru asking questions about the limo, and Rika sitting next to Miyako, feeling increasingly awkward and uncomfortable around these people she couldn't see.

**  
"You have a nice house, Miyako." Tamaki said, entering through the closed door.

"It's so big!" Naru declared. "Like a airport!"

Miyako looked ready to break something.

The Kita household was indeed impressive. It reminded Tamaki a bit of Kyoya's house, though without the sweeping windows. The interior had a strange mix of western and Japanese design, and through one door, Tamaki could see tarp covered walls and cans of paint littering the floor.

"You're redecorating?"

It was honestly more of statement than a question. Miyako hadn't answered any of his questions so far, so why would she start now?

They followed her up a flight of stairs to the second floor. The hallway was lined with doors. One was wide open, revealing pink painted wall and an enormous pile of dolls up against a wall. Naru squealed with delight when she saw it, and ran for the room with Elissa on her tail.

"Don't worry," she called back to the others. "I'll watch her."

"Just don't try singing to her," Hoki answered cheekily. "Wouldn't want her to die again."

"Silence, cretin!"

Tamaki and Hoki watched Miyako enter the third door on the left before following her. Her room was around the same size as Tamaki's room and much plainer than the one they'd just encountered.

"Hey Miyako, do you have a sister or something?" Hoki asked.

"Half-sisters."

"Is your older sisters room up here?" Tamaki asked, grateful to Hoki for starting a conversation.

Miyako just looked at him, "I don't have an older sister, Suoh."

Tamaki blinked, "But what about Rika, isn't she your sister?"

There then came a knock and the trio turned to see Rika enter the room, having forgone her casual for a maid's outfit.

"I just got a call from your Dad, they'll be home in an hour. Let's get your math homework done before they get here, okay?"

Miyako made a face, as if the very idea of math homework physically hurt her.

"In a minute Rika, I have a pest to deal with right now."

"Ah, so Suoh did follow us," Rika answered with an understanding nod. "I had a feeling he was in the car. Where exactly is he? I don't want to stand inside him or anything."

Rika began glancing in all directions, while Miyako just sighed and Tamaki stared at Rika in shock.

"Wait… she's your maid?"

Miyako stared at him with evident annoyance. "Yes. What's your point?"

"I-it's just that… well, she acts very casual around you, and she wasn't even in uniform before."

"Just because Rika works for my family doesn't mean we can't be friends, Suoh."

"I never said she couldn't," Tamaki answered apologetically.

"You're digging yourself in kinda deep, kid." Hoki whispered in Tamaki's ear.

Miyako took this opportunity to walk to the small table in the middle of the room and sit down next to Rika. She grabbed her book bag and pulled out her math homework. Tamaki sat down on Miyako's other side and watched as Rika explained the methods to the younger girl.

It seemed math wasn't one of Miyako's strong subjects, as the girl looked confused by even the more simple formulas. Tamaki had always been good at math, and decided that maybe helping Miyako out would make her warm up to him. It was worth a shot anyway.

He discreetly glanced at the homework sheet and quickly found the problem Miyako was currently working on. It was a bit more difficult than the rest, but after a minute, he got the answer.

"It's 8," he whispered to her.

Her eyebrow twitched, but she ignored him.

"Miyako," Tamaki said a bit louder. "The answer's 8."

"Shut up." She answered through grit teeth.

"I'm just trying to help," he said. "Look, all you have to do is carry the 4 and-"

"Get away from me!"

Tamaki yelped and jumped back, while Hoki began to snicker and Rika gave Miyako an annoyed look.

"C'mon Miyako, focus."

Fuming, the young medium sat back down and began tentatively writing something while Rika looked on with an analytical eye. Miyako looked back up a few seconds later, Rika wasn't smiling.

"Close," the maid said. "But you didn't carry the 4."

Miyako glanced to the side at Tamaki and narrowed her eyes, a low growl building in her throat.

**  
Dinner at the Kita Household proved to be a quiet affair, though it could've just been the negative aura the oldest daughter was exuding as she forced herself to look down at her food and not straight ahead, where Tamaki was standing.

For his part, Tamaki was listening to Elissa talk about a time when her old theatre troupe had won over an unruly crowd in Barcelona and at the same time trying his hardest to remember what he'd done to make Miyako mad at him. He racked his brains for the answer a dozen times, but he just couldn't recall encountering her at any point before the incident in the hallway the day of his accident.

Whatever is was, she clearly remembered it all too well, and that just made him feel worse for forgetting.

"So Miyako, how was school today?"

The voice of Miyako's father jolted Tamaki from his thoughts and made him look in the older man's direction. One thing he'd learned from following Miyako was that her father was one of those loud, goofy parents. Sort of like Ranka, only without the crossdressing.

Miyako, for her part, was respectful of her father and answered his question with a smile.

"Fine, nothing new to report," she said.

"Did you make any friends who aren't imaginary?" Miyako's younger sister, Yoko he believed, said in a taunting voice.

Miyako glared at her, which confused Tamaki. He figured the girl was talking about the spirits Miyako encountered, so why did it bother her so much when the little girl brought it up?

"You're still doing that?" the woman sitting next to Miyako's father asked.

Miyako glanced up at her, a frown now set on her features. Judging by what he'd heard, this wasn't Miyako's birth mother, but rather her step-mother. It made sense, the woman looked far too young to be the mother of a teenager, but old enough to be one for two toddlers.

"Doing what, Kyung-san?"

Miyako's tone was oddly formal, which made Tamaki all the more interested in hearing what they had to say to each other.

"Well, it's just that I sometimes hear you up late at night talking to someone who isn't there."

Under the table, Miyako's fist clenched.

"What makes you think no one is there," She asked in a surprisingly calm voice. "I'm probably just talking to Rika."

"And she never answers you or contributes to the conversation?"

"Oh, come now, Kyung," Mr. Kita spoke up. "There's nothing wrong with talking to yourself. Everyone does it."

"I don't," the woman muttered under her breath. "Really though Miyako, you should have friends outside of this household. If you're talking to yourself, well, I won't lie, it bothers me."

"Excuse me."

Everyone (including Tamaki) looked at up the elderly maid. It seemed he wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed her presence in the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but dessert is just about ready."

Mr. Kita smiled, "Why thank you, Mrs. Noda."

The woman smiled, and sent an oddly stern look in Miyako's direction before walking back into the kitchen. Miyako and her Step-mother didn't pick the conversation back up and spent the rest of the meal avoiding each others eyes.

Tamaki processed all this, and instantly a million questions flooded his mind. He just wondered if Miyako would answer them.

**  
"Hey, Miyako?"

"…Suoh, I'm trying to sleep."

"I know, and I'm sorry." Tamaki stood from the window ledge he'd been sitting under with Hoki while Elissa and Naru watched from beside the window. "I was just wondering, your Step-mother, well, does she know about your… abilities…"

As he trailed off, Miyako sat up in bed and looked at the ghost through heavy and tired eyes. Somehow, they still managed to show annoyance despite her apparent exhaustion.

"No, she and my father don't know. Only Kenji, Rika and our Housekeeper do. You saw her at dinner."

"Mrs. Noda, right?" Tamaki stated more than asked. "I thought she might know something from that look she gave you. The only thing I don't understand is why you haven't told your parents. Shouldn't they know something like this?"

"Why?" Miyako asked with complete sincerity. "They don't know because I choose not to tell them. What does it matter if I tell them or not anyway? My father won't stop caring about me and Kyung-"

She stopped abruptly, as if she was about to say something she shouldn't, and immediately laid back down. If she thought this would dissuade Tamaki from asking more questions, she was severely mistaken.

"Miyako," he said softly. "You don't have a good relationship with your Step-mother, do you?"

"…just leave me alone, Suoh."

This was answer enough for Tamaki.

"Where is your birth mother?" he asked.

"I said, leave me alone!"

Her suddenly loud tone sent Tamaki back a couple of steps, and he decided to let it go for the time being. Even so, he had a feeling there was more to this situation than Miyako let on.

**  
Miyako felt herself wake up slowly. The sun was directly in her face, making her squint as she forced her still tired eyes open. For a moment, she simply sat up in bed, the memories of yesterday not fully reaching her until she glanced to the side and found Tamaki Suoh's ghost sitting at her coffee table with Hoki and the two other ghosts.

"Morning, Miyako!" Tamaki greeted her cheerfully.

Miyako gave a loud yelp and almost jumped out of bed. Now that she fully recalled what had happened yesterday, she felt the now familiar feelings of anger grow within. With a growl and a glare that sent Tamaki flying to the corner of the room, Miyako jumped out of bed, grabbed a fresh set of clothes and stomped out the door.

**  
An hour later found Rika bringing Miyako's laundry into her room while she hummed a favorite song of hers. She only stopped when an demanding voice rang out.

"Rika."

The maid turned to face the lady of the house, who was walking over with several large binders in her arms, no doubt filled with sample sheets and rough sketches for the renovations she was working on

"Good Morning, Kyung-sama."

The older woman stood in front of the maid, her face a mixture of annoyance and concern.

"Rika, do you happen to know why Miyako had been in the bathroom for the past hour?"

At this, the maid started a bit.

"Eh? Has she?"

Kyung nodded, "I've tried to make her come out, but she just ignores me. Can you please go talk to her? She's starting to worry me. Not to mention all my cosmetics are in that bathroom and if she keeps hogging it like this…"

Rika didn't hear the rest as she'd already quietly excused herself and headed to the bathroom in question. Since it was the closest to Miyako's room, she knew this had to be it. As she approached the door, she walked right past an unseen Tamaki and Hoki, who were leaning against the hall next to the door. The former's face was one of dejection and sadness, while the latter just looked bored.

Rika knocked softly on the door, but received no answer.

"Miyako?" she called out. "It's me, Rika, what's going on in there?"

The was a pause, during which the maid could hear her charge let out a long sigh, then she finally spoke in a soft, even tone.

"This is the only place I can go where he won't follow me."

Rika glanced to the sides, half expecting to see Tamaki Suoh standing there watching her. Of course, she saw nothing, but her innate idealism caused her to find a bright side to the situation in spite of everything.

"Well, now we know he's a chivalrous ghost, right?"

"Yeah, that makes everything better," Came the deadpan reply. "I'm not even really away from him like this anyway."

Inside the bathroom, Miyako, who sat fully clothed in the empty bathtub, glanced at the female ghosts. Elissa was standing in the corner near the door, while Naru sat with her legs swinging on the ornate sink.

"Miss Miyako?" Naru piped up. "Why don't you like Mr. Tamaki, he's nice."

 _'Nice to you,'_ Miyako thought to herself. She then offered the girl a small smile.

"I just don't get along with him, Naru-chan," She explained gently. Her younger sisters offered a lot of experience in dealing with little girls. "Sometimes, people just can't be friends, but it doesn't mean either of them is bad."

At this, Naru smiled. "So you think Mr. Tamaki is nice too, right?"

Miyako opened her mouth to respond, but found she had no answer to that, so she just sat there for several seconds, mouth hanging open and frustration growing. It became especially bad when Elissa began chuckling.

"I think you've got her there, Naru-chan."

"Miyako!" Rika's punctured voice was followed by louder and more forceful knocking. "This is ridiculous, come out of there!"

Surprised by her friend's sudden anger, Miyako simply turned her head away and refused to answer.

"Open the door now, before I do."

Again the teenager didn't answer. She knew the maid's threats were empty, the bathroom door was locked from the inside after all. She heard Rika sigh, fidget with the doorknob for a few seconds, then suddenly, the door burst open. Miyako was left completely dumbfounded.

"How did you do that?" She cried in disbelief.

Rika ignored the question.

"Do you have any idea how childish you're being?" the maid demanded, hands on her hips. "I know you had your feelings hurt, but that's no excuse for treating a lost soul so poorly. You're better than this, Miyako, I know you are. It's time for you to let go of the past and stop acting like such a bitch. Now come out of this bathroom and talk to him right now, young lady."

Miyako stared at Rika in complete silence for several minutes. It wasn't the first time her oldest friend had scolded her like this. Even though she was only in her twenties, there were times when Rika seemed more like an adult than even Miyako's father (whom she had to admit was a bit of a goof).

Ever since Miyako's mother had left, Rika seemed to think she needed to be a servant and a mother to the young girl, and this hadn't changed when Miyako entered her teen years, nor would it probably end after she became an adult.

This aspect of Rika could be irritating, but Miyako still appreciated it. Even at times like right now.

Elissa and Naru were watching her expectantly. Naru may not have fully understood, but Miyako could tell Elissa agreed. Sensing no way out, Miyako gave a sigh and stood up.

"It's not just that I'm angry at him," she said. "I really can't do much to help. I have no idea how he got like this. Out of his body, I mean."

Rika's stern look softened, and she gave a gentle smile as she patted Miyako's shoulder.

"Just do what you can, that's all I ask."

Miyako made brief eye contact with her maid, then begrudgingly nodded her head and moved past Rika toward the door.

 _'Seriously though, how did she get that door open?'_ Was her thought as she walked through the threshold and took a quick glance at the seemingly unbroken door.

When she walked outside, she found Suoh and Hoki hadn't moved from where she'd left them an hour ago. One look at Suoh's downtrodden expression told her he hadn't heard her exchange with Rika, which honestly made her a bit relieved.

Unsure of what to say, she just stood in front of them for a few seconds, waiting for Suoh to look up and notice her. To Rika, who was watching by the door, and to anyone passing by, it looked like the household's oldest daughter was having an intense staring contest with the walls. Finally, Suoh seemed ready to acknowledge her and lifted his head a bit. Somewhere inside, she felt a twinge of sadness when she looked into his eyes, but that quickly faded and was soon forgotten.

After another long moment of searching for the right words, Miyako spoke in a soft voice.

"Look, Suoh," she was almost mumbling, but Suoh seemed able to make out her words. "I- I just want to say…"

His intent gaze was starting to get to her. Miyako had never been very good at apologies no matter how hard she tried.

"Suoh, I- I'm…"

"Sorry," she heard Rika hiss.

Miyako sent a glare her way, then took a deep breath.

"I'm… very sorry for how I've been acting. I'll do what I can to help, but-"

She was cut off by a loud cheer. Suoh's sadness seemed to have vanished in an instant, replaced by bright exuberance as he leaped to his feet, startling everyone present except Rika. Miyako took a step back as he got extremely close to her face. This was definitely more like the Tamaki Suoh who regularly charmed her female classmates into a frenzy.

"Oh thank you, Miyako!" He cheered. She imagined if he had a physical body, he would try to hug her, which was out of the question.

"I knew you couldn't stay mad at me, and I promise once I'm back in my body, I'll do whatever I can to make up for whatever I did."

"That's not necessary," The medium deadpanned.

Having calmed down a bit, Suoh gave her a, to anyone else, dashing smile and once again moved close to her face.

"Of course it is," he said. "I can't bear the thought of a Princess such as yourself being angry or unhappy."

Miyako blushed and looked away. "Oh, that's so sweet of you."

…at least, that's the response he probably expected.

Instead, Miyako's eyes widened for a split second, unwelcome memories flooding the forefronts of her mind, and once again filling her with hurt and anger. With a growl, she jerked away from Tamaki and started off down the hall.

"Of course you ARE still as fake as you were two years ago." She shouted over her shoulder.

It took a moment for Tamaki to process this, and he seriously considered becoming acquainted with the nearby corner as Miyako disappeared through the opening at the end of the hallway. Tamaki Suoh was a lot of things, but fake wasn't one of them.

Behind him, the maid called after Miyako, before sighing and giving up. He wondered why she hadn't gone after the girl like she always seemed to. His silent question was answered when Rika turned around and set her eyes on a spot several inches from Tamaki's head.

"Are you still here?" Her tone was awkward. This was probably the first time she'd spoken to someone she couldn't see. "It's Tamaki, right? Can you give me a- a sign or something that you're here…?"

Tamaki knew he couldn't, and looked to the still sitting Hoki for advice. The ghost seemed to catch Tamaki's line of thought before he even said anything, and boredly brought a fist to the wall, banging it twice.

Rika jumped and whirled around to face where she thought the noise had come from. Tamaki, for his part, couldn't believe that Hoki had really done that. He'd thought it was impossible for ghosts to touch anything. Noticing the blonde's confusion, Hoki gave a light shrug.

"I'll show you how later." He said casually.

Tamaki would've said something, but then Rika started up again.

"I guess you are still here," she said a bit nervously. "I'm sorry about Miyako. She's not a bad person, it's just that she can hold a grudge longer than anyone I know and well… you hurt her feelings pretty badly."

Tamaki felt his heart drop. What could he have possibly done to hurt someone he'd never met before's feelings?

"I know we've never met, but you seem like a nice person from what I've heard. I don't think you did it intentionally, which is probably why you don't remember."

Rika looked down at her feet, as if she was remembering something sad and hard to accept. When she looked back up, Tamaki's insides froze. By a stroke of luck, she'd managed to aim her gaze directly at him, and her eyes contained sadness and clear concern for her friend.

"I can only give you a secondhand account, but I want to explain exactly what happened…"


	7. The Spirit World Strikes!

"Yes… yes, I understand… No, I haven't spoken to her in years… oh definitely not… yes… good, let her know. And make sure she understands that she is not to attempt any contact. Do not give her this number… good… alright, thank you. Good day."

Shizue Suoh hung up the phone, and went back to her afternoon tea in complete silence.

**  
If anyone happened to wander down the hall at this moment in time, they would probably find it very odd that the twenty-six year old maid, Rika, was standing in the middle of the hall giving an extended speech to the air. Rika didn't want to move, however. She wasn't sure the spirit of Tamaki Suoh would follow her. A part of her still doubted he was even there despite the apparent proof she'd just received.

She cleared her throat, while the unseen Tamaki waited in silence for her to speak.

"I suppose it started back when Miyako was 4. One day, her mother, the first Mrs. Kita, left completely without warning and never returned. To this day, no one knows what made her go; all signs indicated that she and Mr. Kita were really happy together. It came as a great shock to us, so you can imagine how Miyako must have felt."

She paused, as if allowing Tamaki a moment to reflect on what he'd just heard. Indeed, the young man was taking it all in silently. His own mother and the close, loving relationship they'd shared came to mind. He didn't know what he'd have done if one day he woke up and she was gone with no warning. Things as they were now were difficult enough.

"Afterwards, an odd change came over Mr. Kita. He'd always been very lively, but when Miyako's mother left, he seemed to withdraw into himself. There were times when he wouldn't leave the estate for anything but work. Around this time, he decided not to send Miyako to school as originally planned. Instead, he hired tutors, and Miyako was home schooled for the next few years until Kyung-san came into the picture.

"Kyung-san's not really the smartest person in the world and she can be kind of selfish, but in the end, she does love her children and that includes Miyako. If it weren't for her, Miyako never would have gone to Ouran. She insisted that home-schooling wasn't right for a child and that Miyako needed to be around people her own age. Eventually, Mr. Kita relented and Miyako was enrolled in Ouran.

"Unfortunately, things didn't go the way Kyung-san had hoped. Miyako had discovered her abilities at a young age, and made the decision to keep it a secret from everyone except me, my brother Kenji and the housekeeper, Mrs. Noda. She'd spent most of her life talking to ghosts, and so she didn't really know how to interact with living people her own age. Suddenly being surrounded by so many scared her, even though she'll never admit it. Her fears put her on the defensive, and most kids who tried to befriend her were rebuffed by her cold attitude. And then of course, there are the kids who realized she wasn't like everyone else and teased her for it.

"It wasn't until her last year of middle school that things finally started to look up. She came home one day looking happier than I'd ever seen her before. I didn't quite know what to make of it, but she ran up to me, with bright eyes and big smile, and I'll never forget what she said to me.

"She said, 'Rika, I met an angel today.'"

Rika chuckled before continuing.

"At the time, I wasn't sure what to make of that. She explained that while she was walking to a class, she dropped some of her books and when she stopped to pick them up, a boy she'd never met before came over to help her. She said he'd come with no provocation and with nothing but concern and kindness for her; it was the first time anyone at school had done that in years. Add in the blonde hair and bluish eyes she described and… well, it's no wonder she thought you were an angel."

Tamaki gasped as it hit him. In that moment, his mind clicked, and a long forgotten memory rose with clarity into his mind.

It had been his first day at Ouran. Kyoya was giving him a tour of the school and briefly left him alone to discuss something with a teacher. In that time, he'd noticed a young girl around his age had dropped her books and was busy gathering them back up. Of course, Tamaki went to help her, it was simply his nature to. He walked over and kneeled in front of her. The girl looked up, and he'd smiled charmingly at her as he grabbed the last of her books and handed it to her.

"Here you go," he'd said. She hadn't responded, just stared at him with an unreadable expression and a noticeable frown on her face.

"Don't look so sad," he'd told her cheerfully. "It's a beautiful day, and a pretty girl like you should smile."

Back in reality, Tamaki let out a breath.

"Miyako…" he said aloud. "That was Miyako?"

Yes. He remembered clearly now, her acne hadn't been as bad back then, but she'd had that bun-hairstyle she currently sported. Their conversation had been so brief and she hadn't even contributed, it was no wonder he didn't remember. But as much as the moment hadn't affected Tamaki, Miyako had been greatly affected.

"After that day," Rika continued. "Miyako seemed so happy. She wanted to speak to you again and tell you how she felt, but could never gather the courage. At first, I didn't understand why she was so hung up over such a trivial event. It wasn't until much later that I understood. The truth is, Miyako's different. I don't know why she was born with her abilities, but in that sense, she's never been like other people. She's never been anything but accepting of what she can see, but I think a small part of her wanted to just… not see them anymore. Or rather, just wanted to be like the other girls.

"My brother, Kenji, and I have been around the Kita family long before we started working her; our mother was a maid before she retired and moved away. Along with Mrs. Noda, we're the only ones who know Miyako is a medium. Those kids in school who first picked on her didn't know the truth, but they did know she wasn't like them, and you know how some kids are.

"You were not in on the secret and you weren't one of the kids who thought she was weird, you were just a random passerby who decided to help her simply because you wanted to. I don't think Miyako ever experienced that before, but she knew this was how the 'normal' kids were treated, and she'd always wanted that for herself. Basically, you made her feel special by making her feel normal, if that makes sense."

Tamaki stared at the maid in wonderment. To think he'd affected the younger Miyako so drastically without even realizing it. His heart clenched. What could have happened then to make her hate him so much?

"It went on for the rest of the year. She would look for you in the hallways and watch you in the classroom. She saw you everyday, but she was always too scared to approach you. She promised herself that once High School came around, she would let go of her fears and tell you her feelings. She'd heard about the club you were starting, but she didn't know what is was for. She figured she would come to the club after school and talk to you then."

Rika gave a sad sigh.

"That day, she came home in tears. She locked herself in her room and didn't come out for hours. And afterwards, she never had a kind word to say about you again. It's amazing how fast love can turn to hate. She never wanted to hear us mention your name, and anytime we did, she became angry and refused to respond.

"Miyako never told me exactly what happened, but when I found out your club was a Host Club, I pieced it together myself. Like I said before, you made Miyako feel special. She took from your brief encounter that you liked her, and that you wouldn't have done the same thing for anyone else. When she saw you doing your… Hosting thing, she must have realized that you weren't really singling her out that day. That you didn't think she was special, but just another girl you could seduce with compliments and charming smiles.

"I guess I'm saying that after that, she saw you as… well, for lack of a better term, she decided you were a manwhore."

If spoken words could take on physical form, then Tamaki would've been literally crushed under the weight of the word 'manwhore'. Instead, he simply did a face fault and once again had to fight the urge to run for the corner. He needed to hear the end of the story.

"If there's one thing I know about Miyako, it's that she can hold a grudge like no other. Her anger is clouding her better judgment, but she knows that what she's doing is wrong. So, if you still feel that it's worth the trouble, she's more than likely going to a café three blocks away from here. It's called Nakano's, she goes there when she needs to calm down or think things through. So assuming you actually stayed here and listened to all this, well…"

She paused for one final time, her eyes dropping to the floor briefly.

"I hope you'll give her another chance."

Tamaki stood there for a long time after Rika finished speaking. The maid herself had remained only a minute longer, before the awkwardness of the situation finally got the better of her and she turned to walk away.

Hoki, Elissa, and Naru had been silent during Rika's explanation, and now all three sat in wait for Tamaki to say or do something. Tamaki himself was currently lost in thought, his mind going over the maid's words again and again as a frown and then a smile formed on his face. When he looked up at his new friends, his eyes were alight with determination and hope, because he knew now just how to handle the situation.

But first, he needed to find Miyako.

"Hoki," he said. "Do you know where that café is? Nakano's?"

The ghost blinked once, then broke out in an easy grin.

"You kidding, I know this town like the back of my hand."

With that, Hoki was up and flying down the hallway, the other three ghosts following closely in his wake.

**  
Only a block away, Miyako stood leaning against a brick wall watching as cars passed by and thinking about yesterday.

It had been two years since the day she discovered the truth about Suoh. She'd gone to his club meeting, unsure what kind of club it actually was, with the intent of telling him how much he'd meant to her. She'd barely even peeked through the double doors of the old music room when she found the object of her affections casually flirting with a group of three giggly girls. She didn't remember exactly what he'd been saying, only that it bore a striking resemblance to the words he'd spoken to her last year, the words she had treasured.

Now it was as if he'd taken those words and ripped them apart right in front of her with his bare hands. From that day on, she'd had no contact with Tamaki Suoh. She did the best she could to ignore him until it became second nature to avert her eyes when he entered the room. The day she heard about his accident, she hadn't known what to think. She wasn't happy about it, she'd never wish such grievous harm on anyone. But she couldn't say she was a sobbing mess or, at worst, threatening to hurl herself out the second story window like one or two of his more rabid fan girls.

She approached the situation the way she did with most other things involving her peer's affairs: silent indifference and a refusal to get involved. She'd told herself that if Suoh died and returned as a ghost, she'd swallow her anger and treat him the way she did all the other spirits who came to her. She may not have liked him, but he was still a person.

It wasn't until he walked into class yesterday, clearly unaware that he wasn't in a physical body, that this resolve crumbled. Seeing him again brought back the heartbroken emotions from that day two years ago. A voice in her head screamed for him to leave and never return, while another voice (one that sounded annoyingly like Rika) berated her for her selfishness. The voices warred in her mind while she outwardly remained quiet and indifferent as Suoh gradually realized what had happened and began to freak out accordingly before finally leaving.

The voice of her anger had cheered, while her conscience shook it's head and sighed.

And then he'd returned, and she managed to let it slip that she could see him. Now he wouldn't leave her alone, and she'd seen that he hadn't changed a bit since that day. He could pretend to like her and butter her up all he wanted, but she wouldn't do anything for him, her conscience be damned. He was just a selfish faker anyway.

Miyako stood up straight and started walking again. Nakano's was just in view, and the dark haired girl could almost taste the café's scones. The sound of heavy footsteps behind her weren't a bother until another set appeared along with them. Miyako ignored them for a few more seconds as she turned the corner, and sighed when the footsteps followed her. She stopped in her tracks and so did they. Turning around, she found herself face to face with two thugs who sometimes hung around the area. Careful to keep her face even, Miyako briefly observed them before speaking.

"Good Afternoon," she said pleasantly as she fingered the fabric of her purse. "Do you need something?"

"Why yes," The first thug said. "How about all your money?"

**  
"It's just up ahead!"

Hoki sped up, prompting the others to do the same. Tamaki was, not for the first time, grateful that he couldn't get tired. The end of the second block was in view, and Hoki directed them to turn at the intersection. When they did, they were met with the surprisingly sight of the very girl they were looking for facing down two large men whose ill intentions were written clearly on their faces.

"Miyako!" Tamaki called out.

With her back to them, the ghosts couldn't see the medium's face, so they had no way of knowing if she'd heard them. Not that she would take her eyes off her potential attackers anyway. The thugs had completely closed in on her and there was no one else around who could help, leaving little option for Miyako to escape. Knowing this just upset Tamaki further as he rounded on Hoki.

"We have to do something!" He shrieked. "What if they kill her or rape her or kill her AND rape her?"

"Not in that order I'd hope," Hoki quipped. His joking demeanor faded a bit when Tamaki glared angrily at him.

"Just tell me how you did that thing before!" Tamaki shouted.

Hoki blinked in confusion, "What thing?"

"He's talking about how you were able to touch that wall before, stupid cretin!" Elissa howled as she attempted to cover Naru's eyes and ears.

"Oh that? That's easy!" Hoki declared with a grin. "You just use your energy or your mental will. Sort of like telekinesis. It works best if you do it without thinking first, sort of on impulse. Why do you ask, anyway?"

Tamaki didn't answer. Instead he ran up in front of the two men and aimed a kick at an empty soda can someone had left lying around. To his immense frustration, his foot went right through it. He tried two more times before Hoki finally figured out what he was trying to do, and when he did, the ghost grinned widely.

"I'll do you one better," Hoki told Tamaki once he'd calmed down a bit.

The older ghost ran towards the men with his arms outwards. He bypassed the surprised Miyako and forcefully shoved the first man to the ground. His partner looked on in shock as he was thrown back by an invisible force. Hoki laughed evilly and aimed a kick to the man's back.

"You try now, kid!" He called to Tamaki. "Do what I did. Don't think, just act!"

Though he was still unsure, seeing Hoki succeed in taking one of them down helped to assure Tamaki that he could take on the other. He was running before he even realized it and when he was close enough, bodily threw himself at the second thug. He didn't feel an impact, so at first he was afraid that he'd failed. Then he heard a thud and a scream, and realized he was on a ground, the second thug laying underneath him. Tamaki scrambled to his feet while the two men busied themselves with collecting their bearings.

"Kid!" Hoki called out.

Tamaki turned around, and was greeted by the retreating form of Miyako, who had taken the opportunity to run away. For a moment, the men looked like they would follow her, but then Elissa decided to step into the fray and picked up some rocks to throw at them. The sight of this alone was enough to scare away the thugs, and they ran down the street screaming about ghosts and monsters the entire way.

Meanwhile, Miyako stopped running at the next street corner, and only then realized she'd gone in the opposite direction of her destination, and that Suoh and his friends were still following her.

"Are you okay, Miyako?" Suoh frantically asked as he appeared next to her. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Rolling her eyes, Miyako turned around to face him, allowing him to see the item in her hand. Tamaki looked at her face, and then at her hands, clearly not recognizing what she was holding.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at it.

Miyako shrugged and turned it on, allowing a surge of electricity to shoot between the two conductors and making Suoh shriek and jump back.

"Is-is that a stun gun?" He demanded.

"You're a sharp one." Miyako responded while returning the stun gun to her purse.

"Why do you have that?"

She shrugged again. "It belongs to my dad. He makes me carry it everywhere but school for protection."

"Isn't that fairly irresponsible?" Elissa wondered out loud.

"So… you would have been okay on you own?" Tamaki said is a slight daze.

"Probably," She answered.

The next few seconds were spent in silence as Miyako tried to figure out how to leave the scene quietly without Suoh following her. At least until he spoke again and said something that made her insides freeze.

"Rika told me about your crush on me."

Her mind went through a flurry of emotions and she couldn't pick any of them out. Simultaneously she wanted to scream, run away, yell at Rika, smack herself… but instead she stood stock still and made a face that probably would look very funny under different circumstances.

"She told me," Suoh was still speaking. "And I remember myself that day in the halls three years ago."

His expression became sad, but she refused to allow herself to believe it was real.

"I can't believe I forgot. It was my first day at Ouran even." He said with a sad chuckle. "Miyako… I don't really know what to say. If I'd known… heh, I'm usually better than this."

"Usually you just give fake compliments until the girl melts at your feet, right?"

"No," He answered firmly, surprisingly Miyako a bit. "Never fake. I believe that every girl is beautiful, and that includes you. I meant every word I said that day, Miyako. And even if I don't have feelings for you, I still want to be your friend."

Miyako opened her mouth and closed it again. Her head was once again beginning to spin. He seemed so sincere, but the angry middle school girl inside her demanded she see past this, because it was just façade. It had to be.

"You- I- Even after everything?" Her tone was louder than she'd intended. "After the way I've treated you- you still-"

Her words became a jumbled mess, giving Tamaki time to speak again.

"I told you," He said. "I think you're a good person when one gets to know you. I'd like to have a chance to do that, if you'll let me."

He held his hand out to her. It was a purely symbolic act, he knew she couldn't actually take it. Miyako, still unable to speak, took turns looking at the outstretched hand and at Tamaki's face. The three ghosts waited in growing anticipation. To their amazement, Miyako started to laugh, though her face showed little humor.

"Unbelievable," She said more to herself than anyone else. "I can't even tell if you're lying or not."

And the most shocking thing of all was that she honestly wanted to believe he wasn't. Not that she'd ever say that out loud.

"You make it way too hard to hate you, Suoh."

With that statement, something inside Tamaki ignited and his hopes began to rise.

"Does that mean you forgive me?" He asked.

Miyako gave him an observing look and then shook her head.

"I don't know," she answered. "But… I guess right now, I should be apologizing anyway."

_'No matter how much I don't like it.'_

Tamaki looked like he could sing, and with a cheer he practically threw himself at Miyako. She didn't know if he was trying to hug her or what, but she backed away all the same.

"Don't do that!" She almost shouted.

Tamaki deflated a bit, but still seemed happy as the group of five began walking again.

"So who exactly do you want to talk to?" Miyako asked.

Tamaki thought for a moment. Really, he wanted to talk to everyone. His mother was out of the question, there was no way Miyako could find her. His father then? Definitely Kyoya as well as the twins and Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai. And of course, he couldn't forget Haruhi. She was at the top of the list.

"Haruhi Fujioka-kun, maybe?"

Miyako's voice stopped him dead in his tracks, which she didn't fail to notice. Tamaki looked at her, trying to hide his shock. Was she a mind reader too?

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

The dark haired girl shrugged. "You just seem pretty close to him. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a couple, but I'm pretty sure you're not gay."

"What are you talking about?" Hoki spoke up. "Haruhi's a gi-"

"GREAT asset to the Host Club!" Tamaki shouted, jumping in front of Hoki. "Indeed he is Hoki that's very kind of you to say Haruhi will appreciate the compliment!"

"But I didn't-"

"So where's this café of yours Miyako I'd very much like to see it!"

His fast and loud tone earned a look from Miyako that clearly said, 'You're a complete idiot.' She began walking again after giving him another eye roll. Tamaki stayed back for a minute and rounded on Hoki.

"You can't tell her about Haruhi, nobody's supposed to know!" He said through grit teeth.

"What," a confused Hoki answered. "That she's a girl?"

"Yes!"

"Why?" This was Elissa.

"Hey!" Miyako's voice made them all look up across the street where she now stood. "Get moving. I willleave without you."

"I'll explain later," Tamaki quickly said to them. "Just don't let Miyako know Haruhi's a girl, okay?"

Hoki shrugged while Elissa tentatively nodded and Naru did the same, albeit more enthusiastically. The foursome then took off after their living companion and followed her in silence to the café. During this time, Tamaki allowed his frazzled mind to wander again on his parents, and on the Host Club, and on Haruhi.

He wondered what they were doing at that moment.

**  
"Suoh-san, are you alright?"

Yuzuru Suoh started a bit, then looked away from the window he'd been staring out of for the past few minutes and at the teacher addressing him. The school was closed for an important board meeting, and as the Chairmen of the school, Yuzuru knew he should be paying very close attention to the discussion at hand.

His mind, however, had other ideas, as it continually wandered to his only son and the idea that he could die at his own father's hand. No matter what his mother said, pulling the plug on Tamaki felt like murder. The very thought of letting his boy die sickened him, even though he knew Tamaki wasn't much better off the way he was now. The same question ran through his mind over and over again.

Was is better to let Tamaki die, or keep him the way he was and pray that he'd somehow come out of this?

In the end, the middle aged man could never find an answer, and so he could only watch his child's vitals drop a little more each day, and listen to his mother's continuing efforts to make him choose the former.

**  
Kyoya was stuck on a math problem.

In all his life as a student, this had never happened to him before. He wasn't the top of his class for nothing, after all. Even though he no longer strived to meet his father's expectations, he still felt the need to succeed in everything and to never be unable to solve a problem.

The fear niggling in the back of his mind kept growing and distracting him, and he felt not for the first time that his best friend was not going to get better without getting worse first, if at all.

He gripped the pen in his hand tight enough to snap it, something he'd only done once before. How amusing it was that both times were because of Tamaki Suoh.

But Kyoya wasn't laughing.

**  
Haruhi had finished her homework two hours ago. Dinner had been made and eaten, the apartment was completely spotless, and her father was about to leave and work an all-nighter, meaning she didn't have to wait up for him.

To busy herself, she was watching some anime on TV, even though she'd never been all that fond of the stuff. She listened as her father bustled around in the bathroom, most likely putting the finishing touches on his makeup.

The tranny exited the bathroom a minute later and gave his daughter an extended goodbye before heading to the door. His hand was reaching for the doorknob when Haruhi's head snapped up.

"Dad?"

Ranka turned around immediately.

"What is it, Haruhi?" He asked with evident concern.

Haruhi was silent for a moment, as if pondering the right words to use.

"Dad," she said again. "How… How did you know you were in love with Mom?"

Haruhi watched her father's face go through a flurry of emotions and wondered if she shouldn't have said anything.

"How did I…" He trailed off for a moment before recovering. "Well, I'm not really sure myself, one day I guess I just… knew."

Haruhi stared at him, then looked away, her expression unreadable.

"Okay, thanks dad," Was her only response.

Ranka lingered for a moment, feeling like he should say something, but what, he had no idea. He left a minute later, leaving Haruhi alone with her thoughts. Her father's answered had both helped and not helped her. She now understood her own feelings a little better, but that only made them harder to accept.

"Just knew," she repeated to herself. "Like how I just know."

Yes, she knew now, but now might be too late.

**  
Éclair Tonnerre walked with graceful steps down the flat staircase leading to a small chapel on her family's property. She'd been having a rather rough day, to put it lightly. An unexpected call from Shizue Suoh, informing her of her ex-fiancé's current condition had effectively ruined her morning, and was only coupled by the fact that Tamaki had been comatose for two months and the old woman had only seen fit to inform them now. What a rotten, bitter old woman she was.

The hardest part was probably going to her dear friend and maid with the unfortunate news. This was what lead Éclair to the chapel on this day. Near the double door, the red head could see another maid, this one with short brown hair and a kind face, peaking inside. She moved away once she sensed her employer's daughter approaching and stood at attention.

"She's still in there, Marie?" Éclair asked, even though she knew she didn't need to.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Marie answered, shaking her head solemnly. "I've tried to raise her spirits, but nothing helps."

"It's fine," Éclair answered softly. "I know she's suffering, probably more than the rest of us combined."

The two glanced at the not closed doors again, before Éclair gently grabbed the maid's shoulder and directed her to the stairs.

As they left, the woman inside listened to their fading steps. She looked up at the Virgin Mary statue, grateful that she was finally alone to pray for her son as she had all day since Éclair told her the news.  
Her eyes were red from crying, and she allowed more tears to freely flow as she continued her prayer.

"O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant, Rene, the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."


	8. The Job Of A High School Medium!

Nakano's turned out to be a small café on the corner just a block away. It wasn't the fanciest place Tamaki had ever seen, but neither was is shabby or commoner-like. Miyako walked in when a slow stride, and immediately received a warm greeting from the hostess, who'd clearly met Miyako before.

"Your table's free, go on ahead and I'll get your usual," The perky woman was saying.

Miyako smiled and thanked her before quietly walking towards a table near the back, the quartet of ghosts on her tail.

"She was friendly," Tamaki commented. "You must come here a lot, huh Miyako?"

The medium gave no response, which triggered a momentary feeling of worry in Tamaki. He quickly shooed it away.

"Miyako?" he said. "Is something wrong?"

Again she did not acknowledge him. Tamaki turned to look at Hoki, who shrugged his shoulders. Looking back at Miyako, Tamaki saw that she'd seated herself at her table and was now rummaging through her purse for something. She pulled out a cell phone, and Tamaki watched as she pressed some random buttons, brought the phone to her ear, then waited a few minutes before smiling.

"Hi there, it's me." She said. Up until now, she'd been looking straight ahead at the opposite wall, but then turned her gaze to Tamaki's wonder filled eyes. "It's okay, we can talk now."

Tamaki blinked, "You're… you're talking to me, right?"

Miyako rolled her eyes, "Of course, who else would I be talking to."

Tamaki glanced at her cell phone, and could just barely make out a screen that definitely wasn't a call screen. He then realized what Miyako was doing, and it brought a grin to his face.

"I see!" He cried. "You're pretending to use the phone so it won't look weird when we talk in public."

"How very clever!" Elissa commented, clapping her hands together.

"Right, okay," Miyako brushed off their overreactions. "Let's get to more important things, like why this is happening to you, Suoh. Tell me exactly what happened the day of your accident."

At this, Tamaki straightened a bit. Miyako was right, they needed to stop goofing around and figure out how to get him back into his body so he could wake up. He realized he was becoming used to being a spirit, and that scared him a bit. The sooner he could get back to normal, the better. The next few minutes were spent explaining that day. It was a bit difficult, since he had to work around anything that might indicate Haruhi's true identity as a girl. He really didn't want to let that secret out.

Miyako listened the story with a thoughtful expression on her face, which he only noticed when he'd finished the story. She didn't speak for a few seconds, and so neither did he.

"I see… have you ever heard of astral projection?" she added rather suddenly.

Tamaki though for a moment, "I think so, but I don't really know much about it."

Miyako changed positions so she was sitting on the side of the chair facing him.

"Basically, it's the separation of the astral body, that is the soul, from the physical body. It's something that's been discussed in different religions, and if you look at Japanese mythology, you'll see that it's not a new concept for a soul to leave the body when it's sick or comatose."

"I've read a little about Japanese mythology," Tamaki responded, leaving out that he'd stopped because the stories like the one she'd described scared him. "I didn't think that sort of thing was true though."

"You and me both," Miyako agreed, which surprised Tamaki. "I've never met a spirit in your situation before, so I simply believed it wasn't true. Now I'm starting to wonder."

She paused for a minute when a waitress approached her with a steaming cup of tea. Miyako thanked her pleasantly, but didn't remove the phone from her ear. When the woman left, she went right back to her work mode.

"Right now, the only explanation I have is some sort of extended astral projection, but I don't think that's really it, it doesn't make any sense."

She stopped again to take a sip of her tea.

"By any chance, Suoh, did you have any odd experiences in the past?"

Tamaki blinked, "Odd?"

"Yeah kid," Hoki piped up. "You know, like other ghosts who aren't as nice as us. Or poltergeists, or vampires, or flesh eating demons?"

"That sounds scary," Naru whimpered, clutching Tamaki's leg.

"Really scary," agreed a shaking Tamaki.

Miyako gave him a deadpan expression before going on.

"Anyway, that's all we have to go on at the moment. There's a small bookstore a few doors down with a decent selection, when I'm done here, we can-"

"Excuse me."

Everyone looked up at the voice, and those who could sucked in a breath at the sight they beheld. The woman standing before them wore a sensible pantsuit and had curly black hair and worn brown eyes. She'd look perfectly normal were it not for the bloodstains running all down her shirt or the fact that her left ear looked like it had been gnawed off.

"I don't mean to interrupt," she said as she leaned down to Miyako's level. "I just noticed you speaking to these lovely people and wondered… well, since they're in the same situation as me, are you one of those people who can see us?"

By now, the ghostly woman had leaned so far in that Miyako had to back up a little. Despite this, the medium kept her composure, and simply smiled at the woman.

"Why yes, I am," she answered. "If you need something, I can assist you, but I'd appreciate a little personal space."

The woman only then seemed to realize what she was doing, and immediately sprang back, issuing a flustered apology.

"I just have to help Suoh here with something," Miyako gestured towards Tamaki. "If you can wait a bit, I'll help you when I'm done."

The woman frowned, "But I only need one thing before I can move on, and it'll be quick, I promise. Surely this fine young man can wait?"

"…You must have died saving kittens from a house fire or something." Hoki commented, earning a glare from Elissa and a confused glance from the woman.

Miyako, for her part, managed to keep up her professional smile as she responded.

"I understand, but Suoh was here first, so-"

"It's okay, Miyako," Tamaki entered the conversation. "I don't mind waiting a bit longer as long as this lovely lady achieves her final happiness."

The woman blushed, "Oh, what a charmer you are."

Tamaki smiled, but didn't look away from Miyako. "Plus, I'd love to see how you do these things, being a medium sounds very interesting."

Miyako broke out in a grin, but there was no joy behind it.

"Yeah, you only say that because you aren't one," she said through grit teeth before going back to her warm tone form before. "As long as Suoh's okay with it, I'd be happy to help you. What is it that you need?"

The woman then launched into a ten minute long story that honestly sounded more like a soap opera than somebody's life. She spoke rather fast, so Tamaki couldn't catch everything she was saying, but he was able to make out the gist of it: the woman had a lover with whom she'd planned to spend her life with, but tragic forces kept them apart and they'd only been able to meet under a tree in the park across town, where they'd buried a time capsule filled with mementos of their love for each other.

By the end of the story, Tamaki felt like crying, while Miyako remained expressionless, and Elissa kept smacking Hoki on the head to stop him from making mock throw up noises.

"And so I hope you can find my time capsule. It was so precious to me in life, and I want to make sure my final wishes for it are carried out."

Miyako drummed her fingers against the table, then drank the last of her tea and put on a fake smile.

"Okay, well I have to go, talk to you later," she said to the non-existent person on the other end of the phone.

She then hung it up, flipped it open again and began dialing for real.

"Who are you calling?" asked Tamaki.

"Kenji," she whispered through grit teeth. "Didn't you hear her? We have to go across town."

**  
Shizue Suoh stood before the main doctor in charge of her grandson. Were she a more caring individual, she might have felt some regret for her decision when she saw the look on his face. He didn't want do this, she knew that right away. Like everyone else, he foolishly held on to the belief that the boy would miraculously get better. Maybe he'd seen one too many patients die on him, maybe he just thought human life was that precious. It didn't matter to Shizue, nothing would change her mind.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until tomorrow?" the doctor asked, not even trying to hide his bitter tone. "It's only right that his father and friends be able to say goodbye."

Shizue nodded her head, no. "I'd like to get it over with quickly. Allowing anyone to say goodbye would only cause unnecessary suffering. It's best to do it quietly and then deal with the fall out later."

The doctor clearly didn't agree with this, but Shizue would not be moved. She gave him the best stone faced expression she could, and eventually he gave a sigh of defeat.

"I'll have the paperwork prepared," the doctor said. "It should be ready within the hour, and once they've been signed, we can go ahead and terminate the life support."

"Very good," Shizue answered. "See to it that it gets done quickly. I don't want this to drag out any further than it already has. I'll be waiting in the cafeteria for the time being."

The doctor gave a nod of his own, then excused himself, leaving Shizue alone. Through an open door, she could see the prone form of the Grandson she'd never wanted. Her eyes were drawn to him only for a moment, before she tore them away and walked slowly towards the elevator where her bodyguards were waiting.

"It's for the best," she told herself. "It's been too long. He won't recover, and he's a just an unnecessary bastard child anyway."

She entered the elevator and kept completely emotionless as one of her guards pressed the button for the lobby, and the doors slowly closed.

Not once did she notice the bespectacled young man just around the corner from where she'd been standing, listening to every word of their conversation with his head down and his fists shaking.

When she was gone, Kyoya grabbed his cell phone and dialed with a speed he didn't know he was capable of. As he waited impatiently for the other line to pick up, the conversation played over and over again in his mind. He'd always been taught to respect his elders, but at that moment, Kyoya wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around Shizue Suoh's throat and squeeze.

**  
"I… Hate… Digging."

Kenji's complaining didn't phase either his sister or Miyako, but the latter did look up briefly to glare at him.

"Quit whining, at least you're not doing it alone."

"Well, I'm partial to making you." Rika commented as she wiped the sweat off her face.

Kenji groaned. "Is your ghost sure this is the place?"

Miyako glanced up at the spirit, who nodded.

"Of course it is," she said. "I know this place like the back of my hand."

"Yes, this is it." Miyako relayed to her partners.

"They must have buried it with a truck or something, then." Kenji moaned.

"I'm really wanting to just make you do this yourself," Rika said again. "More so every second."

"You're a terrible younger sister," Kenji deadpanned.

"And you're an awesome older brother!"

"Knock it off, you two," Miyako said loudly.

The maid and the chauffeur muttered something to themselves, but quieted down and went back to digging. During all of this, Tamaki was off in his own world.

The woman's story had deeply moved him. The way she spoke of her lover and the bond they shared, it was like an epic love story that had never been written. The only problem was that she was dead, but at least her beloved would have something to remember her by until it was his time to go.

He could just imagine it.

**  
 _Tamaki Suoh Inner Mind Theatre_

_"My darling," the woman murmured as she embraced her lover. "I've waited so long, I couldn't bear to move on without you."_

_"I know, beloved," the man answered. "The years without you were unbearable, worse than Hell itself. But now that you're in my arms again, wherever I go will be Heaven."_

_"Oh darling," the woman said in barely a whisper._

_The man drew her in for a kiss, and their lips met as they were bathed in a heavenly light._

**  
 **TEN MINUTES LATER**

"That's right, burn it all!" The ghost said in a tone not unlike a serial killer cornering their victim as she watched the flames lick the newly dug up time capsule. "Make sure it's just recognizable enough so when the bastard comes, it gives him a real good scare."

Miyako nodded, then turned to Kenji.

"Just a little more, put it out before it turns to ashes."

"A tin can is not that easy to burn, you know." Kenji muttered while Rika poked the fire with a stick.

"I though you said you loved you boyfriend," Elissa said to the other female ghost, who gave a nod.

"Oh I did," she answered. "Until I found him in bed with my best friend AND my sister. At the same time!"

"Whoa, sounds like my kind of guy," Hoki stated, earning another smack from Elissa.

"Alright, I think that's good enough," Miyako said to Kenji, signaling for him to put out the fire before anyone saw what they were doing.

She looked at the ghost.

"Are you sure he'll come by here?" She asked.

"Oh, of course," the ghost nodded. "He likes to come around with whatever floozy he's with this week and laugh about what a 'bitchy prude' I was. Once he sees this, it'll send one Hell of a message!"

Miyako nodded, her face even. "I bet it will."

The ghost grinned and straightened back up, "That's all I need to know. Thank you, young lady. I can finally move on thanks to you."

The medium smiled and gave a nod of her own, "It's no trouble at all."

By now, the ghost was becoming increasingly less solid, until Miyako could actually see through her. The ghost gave a final wave goodbye and vanished completely from sight, as if she'd never even been there. Miyako sighed.

"Glad that's done," She said to herself. "Now we can get back to more pressing matters…"

Miyako trailed off and narrowed her eyes in annoyance as she glanced over at Suoh, who'd been sitting in a crouched position next to the tree and sulking ever since the female ghost first demanded they burn the time capsule.

"Suoh, stop that right now!" She snapped at him. "What is your problem?"

Tamaki looked up, and Miyako imagined he'd be crying if he could from the look on his face. This only served to annoy her more.

"You're not upset over that woman, are you?" The medium asked.

"Maybe he's a sentimental type," Hoki suggested with a shrug.

Miyako rolled her eyes and approached the ghost of her classmate.

"If it makes you feel any better," she started in a somewhat awkward tone. "I doubt that woman will go straight to Heaven. In my experience, people who move on with that much bitterness and anger go somewhere else."

Tamaki shakily stood back up.

"Like where?" he asked.

Miyako shrugged. "I don't know, probably some sort of in between point. I wish I knew for sure what's on the other side, but I don't. I can only see the ghosts still on this plane. When they move on to the next, they disappear completely like that woman did. But I know she didn't go to Heaven, it would have been way different if she had."

Tamaki thought about that for a second, he got the feeling Miyako was leaving something out.

"Different how?" he asked.

Miyako paused, both in walking away and in speaking. She started again a moment later, and answered:

"There would have been a light."

"Eh?" Tamaki responded. "A light?"

He suddenly became aware of the sun setting in the distance, leaving the outside world in growing darkness as nighttime began. Tamaki understood what Miyako meant by a light, and he was amazed that along with ghosts, she'd seen it before. He briefly wondered what it would be like to see the light for himself, but then the implications of how to achieve such a thing hit him, and he suddenly felt a weight drop into his stomach.

He had to get back to his body and fast.

**  
The Hitachiin family limousine swerved through traffic at an alarming speed. In fact, by now they'd probably earned over a dozen tickets, but not one of the three people in the back seat cared one bit about that.

"Can't you go any faster?" Kaoru demanded of the chauffeur.

"I'm sorry sir," the beleaguered driver said nervously. "I'm going as fast as I can without attracting the attention of the police, but-"

"FUCK THE POLICE!" Hikaru shouted as he punched the glass window separating them from the driver. "The police don't sign your paycheck, do they? Go 100 miles an hour if you have to, just get us there immediately, or else!"

"Yes, sir!" The driver answered before flooring it.

Haruhi sat between the twins, completely oblivious to the world around her. In her mind, she played out scenes of Tamaki's heart monitor showing a flatline. Of his body being placed in a coffin and brought to a mortuary. Of a cloud of thick black smoke raising to the sky…

She shut her eyes, willing the thoughts to go away, but like the nasty voice that constantly reminded her this was her fault, they simply wouldn't. So instead, she thought of Tamaki's grandmother, and how good it would feel to say to her everything she'd been holding back for the past two months.

**  
 _TWO MONTHS EARLIER_

_Haruhi ran alongside the gurney carrying Tamaki-senpai's body. The paramedics had called his father when Haruhi gave them the number, and she could barely make out his voice instructing them to bring him straight to Ootori Medical at once in a tone she couldn't describe._

_She had been holding Tamaki-senpai's limp hand ever since she entered the ambulance. She only let go when her Senpai was wheeled into the ICU. Haruhi was directed to the waiting room, and she walked towards like a zombie. Her mind was spinning, trying and failing to process everything that had just occurred. She didn't even notice anyone walk in until she heard a cool voice._

_"Well, if it isn't the Honor Student."_

_Haruhi looked up, and almost gasped when she beheld the Suoh matriarch standing over her. She wondered if she should stand up and give a bow of respect, but the elderly woman made this unnecessary by sitting down beside her. They sat in silence for a few moments, Haruhi trying to figure out something to say to the woman. Once again, Mrs. Suoh beat her to it._

_"I was told you traveled here with my Grandson," she said without looking at the teenager._

_Haruhi stared dumbly at her for a moment, until her mind cleared and she was able to answer._

_"He was hit right across the street from me," she answered. "I saw the ambulance come and-"_

_"So he was coming to see you," Mrs. Suoh concluded in an even tone that regardless sent Haruhi's stomach in a series of twists and turns. She hadn't thought of that before, did that mean…_

_The thought was unbearable, and so she shoved it away, at the time not knowing that it would be back._

_"Where is Mr. Suoh?" she blurted out without thinking._

_At this, Mrs. Suoh gave her a glance, but nothing more._

_"If you mean my son, he is signing the boy in," she said. "He'll be joining us shortly, along with those Host Club fools. Yuzuru called them on the way here."_

_It suddenly occurred to Haruhi that she should've called the others herself a long time ago, and she became very aware of the cell phone in her pants pocket. Her mind had been so focused on Tamaki-senpai that she just hadn't thought of it._

_"…of time."_

_Haruhi started._

_"What was that?" She asked._

_This time, the woman fully turned to face her, and her expression was one of utter contempt and annoyance._

_"I very much don't like repeating myself," Mrs. Suoh said sharply. "What I said was that this whole thing is already becoming quite a bother, and that I hope we don't have to wait too long to find out his condition. This is a complete waste of time."_

_Haruhi's mouth opened, but no words came out. She was simply too in shock by what she just heard. It wasn't just the woman's cruel words, but also her tone._

_How could anyone speak so callously, so uncaringly, about their own flesh and blood. She was treating Tamaki-senpai's possible death like it was nothing but a minor annoyance. Perhaps she was like Tamaki-senpai in the way she never truly believed his Grandmother could be so heartless, but now she fully believed it._

_The woman was no longer paying attention to Haruhi, and so she didn't see the girl open her mouth again and again in impotent rage. The rest of the Hosts arrived shortly after, pulling her away from the old woman and demanding to know what had happened._

_But those thoughts still lingered in the back of her mind._

**  
"Please…" Haruhi whispered. "Please, Mom… help me. Help us get there in time."

The limousine tore down the streets, at one point cutting off another limousine, causing the driver of the latter to honk his horn in annoyance.

"Slow down, moron!" Kenji yelled at the retreating car. "What kind of driver is that?"

"Actually, I think he's a very good driver," Rika playfully quipped from the passenger's seat. "Compared to you, anyway."

Kenji scowled at her. "You have no room to talk, Ms. 'Failed her driver's test three times'.

"TWO times," Rika cried back. "That last one doesn't count, the teacher was an idiot and he kept trying to look down my shirt!"

The siblings began arguing back and forth, and Miyako, having long since gotten used to her servants/friends' antics, easily tuned them out by gazing out the window.

"Where are we going?" Naru suddenly asked.

"I've been wondering that myself," Tamaki agreed. "You haven't said anything for a while, Miyako."

The medium repositioned herself in the seat so she could face him better.

"We're going to Ootori Medical, that's where your body is, right?"

Tamaki gasped softly, "Why are we going there?"

"I figured I should get a look at how your body's doing. I'm no doctor, but it may help to know exactly what condition you're in right now." Miyako explained.

"Oh," Tamaki nodded. "That makes sense… but wait!"

Miyako raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"They won't let you up," Tamaki said with a groan. "I heard them say that only a select few are allowed to see me; family and close, personal friends."

"Hm," Miyako thought about this. "I guess I won't be on that list."

"What was that?" Kenji called from the front seat.

"Suoh says only authorized people like family and friends can see him at the hospital."

Rika stared at her charge through the rear view mirror.

"Seriously?" she asked. "That's pretty tight security."

"I guess that's it for that idea, then," Miyako said with a shrug. "It's getting late anyway and I think a storm might be on the way, let's go home Kenji."

"Wait!"

Miyako jerked a bit and looked at Tamaki, who suddenly looked rather anxious.

"I think was should go to the hospital anyway," he said. "I'd like to see my body again."

The medium just stared at him for a moment.

"Why?"

"I…" Tamaki trailed off for a moment. "I just… I just want to see it… make sure it's there and… and that I'm still alive. You know…"

The expression Miyako wore betrayed that she didn't entirely believe that, but still, she gave a nod.

"Never mind, Kenji," she said. "We're going to the hospital after all. Suoh wants to see his body."

"Gotcha," was Kenji's response. "Good thing you told me now, from here there's a shortcut."

The limousine turned a corner and drove down several blocks until the Ootori Medical Center came into view barely two minutes later. Tamaki watched the building become larger as it came more into view. His hands clenched into fists and he felt like his heart was racing. He knew he should have told Miyako the truth, but he just didn't know how to explain this feeling he had.

This feeling that he was in serious, _serious_ trouble.

**  
By luck, the twins and Haruhi arrived at the same time as Hunny and Mori. The group of five burst into the lobby, half walking, half running pasts the flustered receptionist to where Kyoya stood waiting for them by the elevator.

"She just went up," he told them. "We have to move."

"Then we should take the stairs," Hunny almost shouted. "We have to hurry before she kills Tama-chan!"

The group immediately heading towards the door leading to the staircase, while behind them, a young girl stood rigid, having eavesdropped on the conversation.

"What was that?" Hasami said to herself. "Tamaki-sama… dying? They're go to…"

**  
"Made it in three minutes!" Kenji declared as if he'd just won a prize.

"Congratulations," Rika sarcastically responded.

"Okay, Suoh," Miyako said to Tamaki. "Try not to take too long in there and- what is it?"

Tamaki had been staring out the window at something for the past few seconds, and whatever it was seemed to make him even more anxious.

"That's Hikaru and Kaoru's transport," He pointed at a nearby limousine. "Why are they here so later… and there's Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai's. And that's Kyoya's chauffeur over there! What's going on?"

Miyako followed Tamaki's finger everywhere it pointed, which left her a bit dizzy since his movements were so rapid.

"I guess you'd better go in and find out." she said. "We'll be waiting in the cafeteria when you're done, okay?"

"Got it," Tamaki said quickly as he phased through the car door.

He noticed the other ghosts were about to follow, and pointed at them.

"Stay with Miyako right now, okay?"

They looked taken aback, especially Naru-chan, but seemed to accept it since they all sat back down while Kenji drove away to find a parking space. Tamaki wasn't even sure himself why he didn't want them with him, he just had a strong feeling that he should be alone with his friends.

He raced up the stairs and through the front doors. He remembered what floor his room was on, so he ran past the elevators and towards the stairs. He had climbed five floors when he heard footsteps above him, but he thought nothing of it and kept going until he reached his floor.

The first thing he saw upon moving through the closed door were the retreating forms of his fellow Hosts, whom he suddenly realized had been the ones he heard before on the stairs.

They were running towards a man and a woman, the latter Tamaki instantly recognized as his Grandmother. He saw the old woman tilt her head to the side as his friends neared her.

"And what are _you_ doing here?" Her tone was completely condescending.

"We're not going to let you pull the plug on him," Hikaru said loud enough for everyone on the floor to hear, including Tamaki, whose heart figuratively stopped.

"She wants…" he muttered to himself. "She wants to _kill_ me?"

"I don't believe this is any of your concern." The old woman told them.

"Oh isn't it?"

Everyone looked up at the new voice, and Tamaki almost shouted out when he saw his father walk into the hallway, the middle-aged man's hard features set in determination and anger. Shizue Suoh's own face betrayed surprise at seeing him. She clearly hadn't wanted him to be here.

"How did you…"

She trailed off, the answer coming to her on it's own when she looked at Kyoya.

"Of course I called him," the third Ootori son answered her unasked question. "A father should be allowed to say goodbye to his son, after all."

Shizue's lips tightened and her fingers clenched unconsciously. Tamaki, meanwhile, was torn between thanking Kyoya and screaming in vain at his Grandmother not to do this.

"It doesn't matter, I suppose," The old woman stated. "If it means that much to you, you can say your goodbyes, but the papers are already prepared and I've made my final decision. We are pulling the plug tonight. It's for the best."

"NO IT ISN'T!" Tamaki screamed. "I'M STILL ALIVE, I'M STILL HERE!"

His feet moved of their own accord, and he found himself standing in front of him Grandmother.

"Can't you see?" He shouted in her face. "I'm here! I still have a chance, I know I do. You can't do this."

Predictably, Shizue looked right passed him at the doctor holding the papers and stepped towards him.

"Alright, I'll sign them now," She told him. "Even though they'll want to say their goodbyes first."

"Well, ma'am," The doctor said. "There's a bit of a problem with that."

Shizue's eye twitched, "A problem? What kind of problem?"

"You can't do this."

When she spoke, everyone's head snapped towards Haruhi. She'd been silent this whole time, so hearing her talk came as a bit of a surprise, as did the strange look in her eyes as they bore into Shizue's.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki whispered.

"You _legally_ can't do this," Haruhi specified her scowl deepening. "If I remember correctly, Tamaki was signed into this Hospital by his father, who also happens to be his legal guardian."

The doctor nodded, "She's right. I only drew up these papers because I believed Mr. Suoh here would be signing them. You are not responsible for young Tamaki, and so I'm afraid this isn't your call, Mrs. Suoh."

The old woman looked like a deer caught in headlights. Tamaki had literally never seen her look so flustered before, and were she a different person under different circumstances, he might have even found it funny. His Grandmother eventually caught herself, and studied her son as her tight lipped expression returned.

"Well Yuzuru," she said stiffly. "I trust you've thought this over?"

"Yes, mother, I have," Yuzuru's tone was exactly the same as his mother's, which sent a chill down Tamaki's spine. "I've thought long and hard about this."

The tension in the room was thickening. Yuzuru turned his attention to the doctor, his eyes flicking to the papers.

"May I have those?" he asked.

For the next two seconds, Tamaki honestly believed that was it. The doctor handed the papers over, and Tamaki felt sick, fully expecting to watch his own father sign his death warrant.

Then Yuzuru grasped the papers with both hands and tore them into four pieces, his eyes never leaving his mother's. He let the pieces fall gently to the floor, while around him, everyone let out a breath and the twins looked like they were about to start cheering.

"I see," Was all Shizue could say.

Yuzuru nodded, then motioned for his mother's bodyguard to come over.

"Please escort my Mother home," he said. "It's time for her to leave."

Shizue nodded in turn at the large man and began walking slowly towards the elevators, stopping only when Haruhi appeared in front of her.

"And what do you want?" Shizue snapped at the petite girl.

Haruhi stared at her, her breath sounding a bit heavy like she was holding back anger.

"There's something I've wanted to say to you for two months now," She said in a low voice. "But I've decided it isn't worth it. You'renot worth it."

Haruhi moved away when she finished speaking, but it was a few more seconds before Shizue continued walking. Tamaki could only stared at the girl. Her anger had faded, replaced by sadness and exhaustion. A strange feeling came over Tamaki as he watched her. He felt like he was seeing her in a different, yet exactly the same light. It didn't make sense to him, and it just made him all the more confused about what he felt for her.

Just what _was_ she to him?

All he knew was that he had to find out.

**  
"Miyako!"

The medium glanced up from her cup of soup to watch the nerve wracked ghost run over to her.

"Hey Suoh," she greeted him. "I saw your friends leaving. They didn't look too good. Fujioka-kun in particular looked like he was about to fall down dead. What happened up there?"

"I'll explain later," Tamaki hand waved it. "This is more important anyway. I need you to help me talk to Haruhi."

She raised an eyebrow, "Fujioka-kun?"

"Yes, it's very urgent!" He said with a nod. "And it can't wait until tomorrow. I know it's late but I need to see her right now!"

"…oh?"

"I can tell you where she lives. It's not very big, but she lives in an apartment complex several blocks from here. I can direct you. Just please, she needs to know I'm still around. She's suffering worse than the others!"

Miyako and the other ghosts listened to the blonde's tirade, while Kenji and Rika waited patiently for the medium to relay Tamaki's words to them. Miyako appeared thoughtful for a moment, then gave a small nod.

"Okay, Suoh. We'll go,"

Tamaki's eyes widened.

"R-really?"

"Of course," Miyako smiled slightly. "If that's what you want, we'll go right now."

For the second (or was it third) time that day, Tamaki looked like he could kiss the girl.

"Oh, thank you, Miyako-chan!" He squealed. "You're the greatest! You're wonderful! Thank you!"

"Yeah, you're welcome," Miyako answered, a bit weirded out by his exuberance. "But before we go, there's something I want to ask you."

"That's fine, I'll tell you whatever you want to know!" Tamaki cheered and did a little dance.

"It's nothing really, just something I've been wondering." Miyako continued.

"Ask away, my dear!"

"Why do you keep referring to Fujioka-kun as 'she'?"


	9. To Haruhi's House We Go!

The sky was clear, but for Hasami, it might as well have been raining.

"Tamaki-sama…" she muttered to herself again and again. "Tamaki-sama…"

He was going to die. She didn't know when, but she'd heard them say they were going to kill her beloved. Ever since he'd been in that accident, she'd gone to the hospital every day, and every day they refused to let her see him. The awful people running that hospital just didn't understand the love she and Tamaki shared.

No one did. Only Tamaki with his smiles and compliments and loving words meant only for her. He may have never said he loved her, or even sought her out between classes, but she knew he only did that to keep their time in the club room sacred. It was there that her love for him had first bloomed. It was their place to be together, even if they weren't alone.

He was _everything_ to her. She'd never let _anything_ come between them.

And if he was going to die, Hasami would join him.

She had nothing else to live for anyway.

**  
"Why do you keep referring to Fujioka as 'she'?"

The question stopped Tamaki right in his tracks. He heard it clearly, but it took a moment to process, and then another moment to mentally go over what he'd just said and realize his mistake.

Vaguely, he could make out Hoki giggling and see Miyako waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Uh…" Usually a smooth talker, his faux pas had left him at a loss for words. "Th-that's just a thing we do us guys we pretend Haruhi's a girl it's like a nickname you know to tease him with because he's definitely a boy the most boyish boy I know that's for sure!"

Miyako clicked her tongue.

"I see… so Fujioka's a girl, huh?"

Tamaki face faulted.

"Wait," Kenji piped up. "Are you talking about that kid we just saw? He's a girl?"

"You mean the short blond kid?" Rika asked.

"No, that's Haninozuka," Miyako said with a shake of her head. "Fujioka's the brunette."

"Oooh," Rika said in understanding. "Right, I remember seeing him just now. Or her, rather. You know, now that I think about it, she does look a bit too feminine, even for the whole bishonen thing."

Kenji nodded in agreement. "I think it's her eyes. Most boys her age don't have big eyes like that."

"I guess it's just something that's obvious, but only when you know about it," Miyako thoughtfully commented to herself.

It was about this time Tamaki finally came back to reality, and he did so with a bang.

"YOU CANNOT TELL ANYONE!" He shouted in Miyako's face.

"Don't do that!" Miyako yelled back, making him edge away a bit.

"What is it now?"

"Suoh says we can't tell anyone Fujioka's a girl," Miyako explained to them before looking at Tamaki again. "Care to explain why?"

A groan caught in Tamaki throat, he couldn't believe he'd let Haruhi's secret out so easily.

"I've been wondering that myself, kid." Hoki choose this moment to comment.

"Me too," Elissa agreed. "It seems very odd that you'd hide a young lady's gender."

Miyako's face showed clearly that she was with Elissa on that, and that she wasn't going to let this go anytime soon. Tamaki wanted nothing more than to crawl in the corner and work on his mushroom garden, but he knew that wasn't an option. And so, the very reluctant Tamaki began to explain the story of how Haruhi Fujioka came into his life.

**  
"That was awesome!" Hikaru whooped. "You really showed her, Haruhi."

Haruhi shrugged. "I didn't really do anything."

"On the contrary," This was from Kyoya. "I think you gave her quite a shaking up. A woman of her stature is used to nothing but respect and reverence. To be treated so lowly, by a _commoner_ no less, it definitely struck something deep within her."

Had circumstances been different, Haruhi might have been annoyed by the 'commoner' jab, but a combination of tire and simply being used to it prevented this.

The twins and Hunny continued to congratulate her, but Haruhi tuned them out. Especially when she saw Tamaki's father walking towards his own transport at an incredibly slow pace. The sight of him made Haruhi feel even sadder, and something inside her was pressing her to talk to him.

"Hang on a second," she said to the twins, who were taking her home. "I'll be right back."

She walked away without waiting for a response. Yuzuru saw her coming and stopped, but for whatever reason, refused to look her in the eye.

"Suoh-san," Haruhi said nervously. She had no idea what to say to him. "I… I uh…"

"I wasn't there."

"Huh?" Haruhi didn't expect him to start the conversation. She saw the middle aged man's face cloud over with a mixture of regret and ire. His head, which had been facing straight ahead, turned a bit so he could look at her.

"When he was born… I wasn't there."

Haruhi's eyes widened a bit in understanding.

"I wanted to be there, but…" He seemed so conflicted for some reason. "I heard the whole story later from a mutual friend who'd gone to the hospital with his mother. She said that when Tamaki was born, there were a few seconds where his heart didn't beat."

His hand was gripping the car door and shaking slightly.

"They were sure that he was stillborn, and they were about to break the news to Anne-Sophie, when… he just started crying. All of a sudden his heart beat normally. It was as if nothing had gone wrong. My friend said it was a miracle. I don't know if that's true, but…"

For her part, Haruhi felt like crying. Not just from the story, but from seeing a normally vibrant man look so broken. It was almost as bad as seeing his even more vibrant son, whom she happened to be in love with, lying in a hospital bed, wasting away. There was a thought had been eating at her ever since the man before her refused to sign Tamaki's life away: did it really make a difference?

"I don't know if I've done the right thing," Yuzuru admitted. "He's my son, I can't let them pull the plug, but I can't bear to see him like this any longer."

His eyes were pleading.

"Miss Fujioka, do you think… did I do the right thing?"

And now, Haruhi was at a loss. She never expected him to ask her something like this. The first thought in her head was what she blurted out.

"Why are you asking me?"

She regretted it the moment she said it, but before she could take it back, Yuzuru's face broke out in a solemn smile.

"I can tell," he said. "Your feelings towards my son go far beyond the others."

She gasped. "How- how can you…"

"I know a thing or two about falling in love, believe me."

His tone was an attempt at light and joking, but his overall demeanor caused it to fail miserably. Haruhi wondered how he could go from almost crying to cracking a joke so fast, but then she realized it was just a father trying to find some sort of bright spot in a difficult situation.

With a tenderness even she didn't know she possessed, Haruhi lightly touched the man's arm and gave him a reassuring smile.

"You did the right thing," she said softly. "I _know_ he'll come back."

**  
"…and that's how it happened."

Tamaki concluded the story quietly. It had gone on much longer than he'd intended since he kept going off in random places to express how adorable Haruhi looked in a certain outfit or when she gave him an actual smile (Miyako, who was 'interpreting' for Kenji and Rika, really didn't appreciate it). Every time that happened, Hoki's brow would raise a little more, and his thoughtful frown deepened. The uncharacteristic behavior was not lost on Tamaki, and he wondered just what his new friend could be thinking.

"Let me get this straight," Kenji said raising a hand. "This honor student kid breaks an expensive vase she can't pay for, and so Suoh and his pals make her work for them?"

"Pretty much," Miyako confirmed with a shrug.

"Wow…" Kenji muttered. "They are real jerks."

"Oh yeah," Rika nodded in agreement.

"Definitely," Miyako deadpanned with a glance in Tamaki's direction.

At this point, Tamaki finally allowed himself to cry in the corner, and nobody stopped him.

**  
The car ride was somewhat strained since nobody was saying anything. Miyako did eventually have to force Tamaki out of the corner, threatening to leave him there and never return if he didn't stop whining immediately.

Now they were halfway to Haruhi's apartment building and Tamaki had resigned himself to sulking overdramatically in the back seat, much to Miyako's obvious chagrin.

Eventually, the silence became a bit too much, and Hoki too it upon himself to break it.

"Hey, kid," he said casually. "I wanted to ask you about Haruhi."

Tamaki perked up a tiny bit, but remained in his depressed bubble.

"What about her?"

"Are you sure she's just a daughter figure to you?"

"Yes!" Tamaki sprang out of his sad aura. His voice was somewhat forced, as if he was trying to convince himself more than Hoki of this.

"Because I've got to tell you, the way you talk about her is not the way a father talks about his daughter."

"Of course it is," Tamaki argued stubbornly.

"Well then, let's go over it again," Hoki challenged. "You like seeing her in fancy outfits. You get angry whenever she's around another boy who might be interested in her, you want to be around her all the time and you dream of holding her and whispering sweet nothings in her ear, that about right?"

Tamaki nodded, "Yes. It's perfectly normal behavior for a father figure. I have no idea what other reason I could have to feel that way."

Hoki just stared, mouth hanging open.

"…my God, you're an _idiot!"_

"My God, that _shocks_ you." was Miyako's offhand comment.

"Alright, alright," Hoki waved his hands around. "Forget all that for a minute, let's try something else. Kid, I want you to imagine Haruhi right now, can you do that?"

Confused, Tamaki gave a nod and drew up a mental image of Haruhi.

"Picture her in her usual state," Hoki continued. "In her regular clothes and doing whatever she does on a daily basis."

Tamaki nodded and did just that. "Okay."

"Alright," Hoki said as a sly smile slipped onto his face. "Now picture her in a string bikini."

Tamaki's train of thought skidded to a halt and his mouth dropped open. One could imagine if he still had his body, he'd be a blushing and drooling mess right at this moment. Instead he just moaned and slid back in his seat while Hoki gave him a knowing look.

"Yeah, daughter my ass."

"We're here!"

Miyako sat up in her seat and snapped her fingers in Tamaki's face to out him out of it.

"Get up, now!" She commanded. "Let's go."

Tamaki was up and out of the car before Miyako'd even put her hand on the door handle. The three ghosts, Kenji and Rika watched from the windows as the two walked towards the building side by side.

"Which one is Fujioka's?" the medium asked.

"That one," Tamaki pointed to it. "She might not be home yet, but hopefully her dad is."

"Okay…" Miyako muttered. For some reason, she sounded a little annoyed at that.

They walked up the metal staircase and down to her door. Miyako wasted no time in knocking twice.

"Hang on!" said a male voice on the other side.

"That's Ranka," Tamaki told her. "He's Haruhi's dad."

"Ranka?" Miyako repeated. "Weird name for a man."

This comment sparked a realization in Tamaki, sending him flying back a few feet.

"That's right, I forgot to tell you!" he gasped. "Ranka-san is-"

He was cut off by the door opening, revealing Ranka in full makeup and a fancy dress.

"Can I help you?" he asked in his very NOT-feminine voice.

Miyako spent an awkward second just gawking at him. Her eyes moved from Tamaki to the 'man' and back several times.

"…Hello," she said when she finally regained herself as she gave the tranny a bow. "My name is Miyako Kita. I go to school with your daughter."

At this, Ranka softened a bit and gave the girl a smile.

"Oh hello, there," he said. "You must be in her class."

"Actually, I'm a year ahead of her," Miyako corrected him. "To be honest, we've never actually spoken."

The smile faded a bit. Ranka's demeanor gained some apparent stiffness.

"Oh?"

"Be careful," Tamaki hissed in Miyako's ear. "He can get vicious."

Miyako sent him a quick glare, then focused again on Ranka.

"I was hoping Fuji- Haruhi was home right now, I need to speak with her."

"What about?" Ranka asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I think he's going to pounce soon," Tamaki whispered fearfully.

Miyako bit her lip in annoyance but didn't acknowledge the spirit any further.

"It's a bit hard to explain," Miyako dodged the question. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"I only just got home, so no," his response was curt, Miyako could tell this wasn't going well. "I'm not sure what business you have with my daughter, Ms. Kita, but I have to wonder why you'd actually come to the house of someone you don't even know and also why you keep looking to the side as if someone is standing there."

 _'He's observant,'_ Miyako said to herself.

She'd experienced people like this before. The type who wasn't easily swayed by the idea that the dead could communicate with the living. Encounters like this usually had one of two outcomes. Miyako hoped to achieve the first here: he'd allow her to calmly state her case and attempt to prove herself a legitimate medium by relaying information only Tamaki would know, which would hopefully get him to believe or at least accept that she was being honest.

"Well sir," She said in a tone she'd often rehearsed in private. "The truth is, there is someone else here with us tonight."

Ranka raised an eyebrow, "And who might that be?"

Miyako smiled. "Tamaki Suoh."

**SLAM**

That was outcome number two.

"Well," said Miyako abruptly. "Can't say I didn't see that coming."

"You _knew_ he'd do that?" Tamaki yelled incredulously.

"I'd been hoping he wouldn't," Miyako's tone was steadily becoming angrier. "And why the Hell didn't you tell me he was a cross dresser?"

"Why, does it bother you?" Tamaki said in a challenging voice.

"Oh, not at all," Miyako said mockingly. "I just would've appreciated a little warning so I wouldn't have been staring at him like a COMPLETE IDIOT!"

The door burst open again, making Miyako and Tamaki jump. It was only then that Miyako realized she'd been yelling, and her carelessness had paid off with Ranka standing like a hunter, holding a broom with a metal handle as a makeshift weapon.

"Get off my porch!" the tranny yelled, brandishing his broom.

Miyako yelped and stumbled back, while Tamaki began to scream in fear. The man chased her to the staircase and down to the ground floor, which got the attention of Kenji, who'd previously been reading a car magazine.

"What is going on here?" He cried, then pointed at Ranka. "What are you doing chasing Miyako?"

"She's insane!" Ranka shouted. "She's trying to scam my poor daughter with lies about Suoh. As if Haruhi hasn't suffered enough. Get out of here now, all of you, or else!"

"How DARE you threaten my lady Miyako!" Kenji yelled dramatically as he reached for the trunk handle and pulled it open.

"Oh please," Rika moaned. "Don't get out the tire iron…"

"AH-HA!" Kenji cried a second later, hold the aforementioned tire iron above his head like a sword. "Have at you!"

Ranka, though momentarily confused, rose to the challenge and took a battle stance he'd seen in a samurai movie once. With a (bad) war cry, he charged at Kenji, and the two began dueling while a confused and stunned audience looked on at the bizarre event.

"You will apologize to Miyako!" Kenji aimed at Ranka's side.

"I will do no such thing!" Ranka dodged and swung at the younger man's head.

"They're weird," Naru commented loudly from the limousine.

"Good observation," Hoki told her, patting her on the head. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

"Engrade!" Kenji didn't seemed to know what he was saying, just that it was what swordfighters said in movies.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Tamaki questioned Miyako, who shook her head.

"Believe me," she said. "When Kenji gets like this, there's no stopping him. Best to let him ride it out on his own."

"APOLOGIZE!"

"NEVER!"

They fought for five whole minutes, until one point when they both swung at the same time and hit each other's weapon with a thud. They struggled to overpower the other, but they were evenly matched. Slowly but surely, they both stopped trying, and for a moment, the two just stared at each other. Then Ranka lowered his weapon and smiled.

"You are quite strong," the tranny said, holding out his hand to shake. "It's clear you're very good at your job, defending her like that."

"And you are a good father," Kenji commended him. "Clearly we are evenly matched."

"…Seriously," Rika deadpanned. " _That's_ how you're ending the fight?"

She was ignored.

"Why don't you all come upstairs," Ranka said cheerfully. "I'll make us some coffee!"

"Sounds great," said the chauffeur. "I'm Kenji Ito by the way. This is my sister Rika, and you've already met Miyako."

Not a minute later, the four of them, along with Tamaki, sat around the Fujioka household's living room table while the coffee machine worked in the kitchen.

"It's always nice to have company," Ranka said, patting Kenji on the back. "Unfortunately, my Haruhi spends most of her energy lately on a complete idiot. I worry about her so…"

Miyako gave a curt, but polite nod while Tamaki sulked over the 'complete idiot' comment.

"Yeah, about that," she started. "I was wondering if I could talk to you now about Tamaki?"

**  
 **SLAM**

Miyako, Kenji, and Rika stood on the veranda, having had the door slammed on them once again by Ranka.

"Well, that was fun," Rika muttered, turning around to walk away.

"I don't know, I enjoyed myself," Kenji responded.

"You can be a real idiot sometimes," Rika said. "You know that?"

Kenji just rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"Too bad he threw us out before we got the coffee, I'm parched."

"Mrs. Noda will make you some when we get home," said Miyako.

"Yeah," Kenji nodded. "We'd better hurry, the weather's going to turn bad and it's already starting to rain."

Miyako turned her head as Kenji spoke, to find Tamaki wasn't following them. He stared at the closed door, wide eyed like a kicked puppy.

"Something wrong?" Miyako called out to him.

Tamaki glanced up at her, his eyes were solemn.

"I think I'm going to stay here tonight," He told her. "I know she can't see me, but I want to spend some time with Haruhi."

Miyako was silent for a moment.

"I'll meet you at school tomorrow, okay?" Tamaki went on. "I'll wait by the fountain."

The medium had a feeling she couldn't convince him to come with her, and frankly, she was too tired to try. So she just nodded and turned to walk away.

"Oh, and Miyako?"

Again she stopped, but she didn't turn around.

"What is it now?"

"…I think you should talk to your Step-Mom."

She gasped a bit and her eyes widened. She wanted to turn around, but forced herself not to.

"And what brought this on all of a sudden?" She semi-demanded.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now," Tamaki admitted. "I know I've only known you for a few days, but I think of you as a friend, and I don't want you to have problems with your family. Besides, I bet she loves you quite a bit and just doesn't know how to show it. You should help her by showing her kindness."

She stood rigid for a few moments before briskly walking down the stairs and to her ride. If she'd wanted to say something, she hadn't, and Tamaki wasn't sure what to make of that. He turned around and headed to the door, when another voice stopped him.

"Hey kid!"

Tamaki looked down at Hoki, who was now outside the limousine looking up at him.

"Do yourself and your girl a favor," he shouted. "Quit being an idiot!"

Tamaki blinked, but couldn't think of a response. He knew instantly who Hoki was referring to as 'his girl', but unlike the first time, didn't feel the need to correct him, and he had no idea why.

He watched the car drove off, then gave a sigh and walked through the door. Ranka was sitting on the couch watching a sappy movie and drinking coffee. Tamaki sat down on the far end of the couch and tried to shut out the sniffling noises the tranny kept making as he tried to sort out his thoughts.

Everything Hoki'd been saying about Haruhi, what did he mean by it? And it wasn't just that. Ranka's words at the hospital kept running through his head as well.

_"I don't know what depresses me more: that I'll have to one day give her up, or that out of all the men in the world, you'll be the one to take her from me."_

What did he _mean_ by that? He'd never tried to take Haruhi away. Sure, he'd been a bit forceful at first, but he'd accepted that he was simply likea father to Haruhi and that Ranka was in fact her real father. The two might not see eye to eye, but Tamaki really did respect Ranka and wanted the older man to like him. Ranka's treatment of him was so frightening and full of protective anger, almost like how he himself might react to Haruhi having a boyfriend.

The door opened as this thought crossed his mind and Tamaki was pulled away from it when the very girl in his thoughts walked in.

"Dad?" Haruhi sounded very surprised to see her father. "I thought you were working late tonight."

"I was," Ranka answered. "But there was a kitchen fire and everyone had to leave early. The real question is where were you? Your note wasn't very specific."

Haruhi's face fell a bit, and Tamaki knew exactly why. He was happy though when she showed her father a smile, and it was actually somewhat genuine.

"It's a long story," she said. "Can I tell you in the morning? I'm kind of tired."

Ranka pulled his daughter into a hug, making her groan in light annoyance.

"Of course, get your rest, honey."

Haruhi nodded and walked into her bedroom. Tamaki debated with himself whether he should follow or not, knowing she'd probably undress and put on her pajamas. The thought of seeing her naked made him both nervous and excited. He'd only just realized the second one was not new, he'd alwaysfelt that way at the prospect of Haruhi in revealing clothes such as swimsuits.

After a few minutes, when he figured it was safe, he tentatively walked to her door and put his hands over his eyes just in case. He stepped inside and forced himself to take a peek, then sighed in relief when he saw her fully dressed in her pajamas.

And she looked so _cute_ in them.

Tamaki sat down on the floor and watched her do some last minute homework for about an hour. Eventually, the lights outside went off, suggesting Ranka had turned in for the night. The only sounds now were the rain outside and Haruhi's pen scratching on the paper.

"How long have we known each other?" Tamaki spoke to Haruhi, knowing that she wouldn't answer but wanting to break the silence anyway.

"It has to have been a few months now at least," Tamaki chuckled. "You know, it's funny. I can't really remember what it was like to not have you in my life. You have such a presence and you don't even know it. The others see it too, but not like I do."

Haruhi turned a page and kept writing.

"You're… amazing, I can't think of a better word to describe you. You're amazing and smart and kind and beautiful. I want to be with you all the time. I want to see you smile again, Haruhi. I want to be the one to makeyou smile."

He laughed.

"I've always felt that way, and I've always believed that was because you were like a daughter to me, but I'm starting to think daughter isn't the right word for you. It's all very confusing. Do you feel the same way?"

She took a sip of her water and yawned.

"But then you'd probably know right away what it meant," Tamaki sighed again. "I guess I really am an idiot like they say. I should know this. I know I should. I just-"

And then he heard it.

It was low, but it would get louder. The sound that made Tamaki freeze and Haruhi drop the pen and gasp.

Thunder.

It rang out again, and Haruhi whimpered, curling up into a tight ball.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried, crawling toward her. "Haruhi, it's okay, I'm here!"

His arms reached for her, but they phased through her body just like everything else. Tamaki choked back a sob and stared at his hands. He'd known since yesterday that he couldn't touch anything, but only just now became aware that he couldn't feel anything. It tore his heart apart.

A third thunder clap sounded, this one louder still.

Haruhi was shivering now, and Tamaki tried once again to hold her.

"Come on, come on," He ground out. Hoki's words from earlier occurred to him again.

_"Don't think, just act!"_

Right now, all he could do was think.

"Damn it!" Tamaki punched at the floor. "I can't believe this."

Haruhi's soft cries were becoming unbearable, as was knowing there was nothing he could do to help her. In spite of, or perhaps because of everything, Tamaki began to laugh.

"Useless…" he whispered. "I'm so useless right now. I can't do anything. I can't hold you, I can't comfort you. I promised you'd never be alone again and I can't even keep it."

Lightning struck, filling the room with light for only an instant. The thunder that following was the loudest yet, and it shook Tamaki to his core. Haruhi outright screamed this time, and Tamaki wrapped him arms around her as best as he could without being able to touch her. She couldn't feel him and he couldn't feel her, but it was all he could do, and he'd always do everything for Haruhi.

"Don't cry…" he whispered. "Don't cry anymore. You're not alone. I'm right here. Even if you don't know it, I'm always right here with you. I'll never let you go."

Her cries were softening now as the thunder started to fade. Tamaki kept his attempted hold on her, wanted more than anything to be solid so she could truly feel him there with her. He always wanted to be with her on nights like this. He always wanted to protect her.

He always…

It clicked.

Right there, in that moment. He could never say how for sure, but it suddenly came to him; what everyone had been trying to make him see, and what he should have known all along.

"I love you, Haruhi."


	10. Hand On The Plug!

There was no denying the Ouran campus was a beautiful one, especially after a big storm when the sun came back out of hiding and shined over the magnificent space. The courtyard in particular was a lovely place to relax before and after school hours. Though at around 4 o clock the next day, the courtyard was devoid of all life, save for one melancholy spirit sitting by the fountain.

It was mostly nostalgia that led Tamaki to settle here for the time being. This was, after all, the setting of his first moment alone with Haruhi. Were he feeling less depressed, he might've smiled at the memory. She'd been so sweet and adorable, knee deep in the water searching for her wallet. But then, she'd always looked sweet and adorable to him, even when she was angry.

"I'm such an idiot," he muttered to himself, not for the first time since his miraculous revelation.

When he'd realized he was in love with Haruhi, he suddenly saw all sorts of past events in a new light. His first meeting with Ranka; his despair at watching her give her first kiss to Kanako; his jealousy and rage at Kasanoda; it had never been fatherly emotions, it had always been love. Real, romantic, honest-to-God love. And how ironic was it that the relationships of others were always something he could interpret with ease, and yet his own feelings were completely lost on him.

All night long, even after the storm died down and Haruhi managed to fall asleep, he'd stayed by her side, watching her and thinking about everything that had happened to him. His realization had brought more than happiness to him, it also brought sadness. He was in love with Haruhi and he'd never realized it until now.

Until he was a wandering spirit whose body was almost dead.

It certainly threw a wrench in any potential relationship.

"I'm such an idiot," He couldn't remind himself enough.

He'd been thinking about it for a while now. His father had refused to pull the plug, and for that, he was eternally grateful, but did it even matter? He didn't know how to get back, what if he couldn't? Having to wander the earth at some plane between life and death, unseen by all he held dear, and watching Haruhi graduate and grow old without him, it was a fate worse than death.

He was angry, mostly at himself. If he hadn't tried to walk to her house, if he hadn't tripped and thrown the pudding at her, if he'd just realized he was in love with her instead of being an IDIOT…

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered if he couldn't get back. He could tell her he loved her over and over again, he could stood directly in front of her, his nose almost touching hers and screamed it loud enough to shatter her eardrums. She'd never hear him.

Tamaki looked down at his hands, resting on his lap. He couldn't feel them, he'd noticed it before, but it hadn't quite sunk in until recently. He couldn't feel anything, he couldn't touch anything. He wasn't even solid. He had bemoaned his apparent death two days ago when he first figured it out, but even then, he probably hadn't realized the extent of the situation. He wasn't dead, but he was pretty close, so did it even matter that he figured out his feelings if he couldn't express them? Could there really be a way for him to return to his body? Did Haruhi even feel the same way?

He didn't know, he didn't know anything for sure except one thing.

"I'm such an idiot."

"…well, that's not a positive attitude."

Tamaki jumped and looked up, surprised to see a concerned Elissa watching him with her hands firmly planted on her hips.

"When did you get here?" Tamaki asked.

"A few minutes ago," she answered. "Miyako asked us to come get you."

"Us?" Tamaki repeated.

He then noticed Hoki and Naru walked up behind the ghostly opera singer. Hoki looked uncharacteristically solemn.

"Yeah, kid," he said. "Don't be so glum, okay? You'll get back to normal, no problem!"

His overly reassuring tone surprised Tamaki and, in spite of everything, made him smile a bit.

"No offence, Hoki," he said. "But you're the last person I expected to hear that from."

The ghost grinned easily and gave a shrug. "Yeah, well, I've thought it over and I don't think you're ready for ghost life yet. You're just not cut out for it."

"For once, I agree with the Cretin," Elissa continued for him. "While we want you to get your life back… well, we will miss you."

"Yeah," Naru piped up, clinging to Tamaki's pants leg, "You're really nice and I like you a lot. I don't want you go, but Ms. Elissa and Mr. Hoki said you have to. So it's okay, but I'll miss you a whole lot anyway."

Tamaki stared at them. These wandering spirits he'd somehow managed to pick up. They barely even knew him and yet they treated him like a life long friend. Until the Host Club, he'd never had anyone like that outside his family. Their smiling faces looking down (or up, in Naru's case) on his sitting form made him want to cry again, but for a whole different reason.

"Now come on," Elissa said, clapping his shoulder. "Miyako's waiting for you. She hasn't given up, neither have your friends and neither can you."

Tamaki smiled and stood up. His fears were still there, but they had lessened. Knowing that he had so many people who cared about him and believed in him could keep him going for as long as it took.

**  
School had been out for a half an hour now. The only people left in the building were the faculty, students partaking in club activities, and students having meetings with their teachers.

Or Miyako's case, waiting outside a teacher's office for a student to finish a meeting. The medium leaned against a pillar right next to the door, and from her position could just make out Haruhi Fujioka discussing something with her teacher. She'd watched the girl before telling her Host Club friends that she had to meet with a teacher and would get to the hospital herself later. They'd argued, but Haruhi won out in the end and they were probably at the hospital by now. It didn't matter, they weren't Miyako's objective. As she waited, the medium's attention rested with the person on the other end of her cell phone.

"I'm just saying that if her father was a skeptic, there's a good chance she'll be too," Rika was saying. "We've dealt with this enough times to know that."

"Yeah, that's true," Miyako relented. "But we've also seen the opposite happen, so we can't judge based on that. I'm going to talk to her, see how she feels about this. Hoki, Elissa and Naru-chan are getting Suoh right now, hopefully they'll be back soon. If he's here, then we-"

"You're just trying to get out doing that, aren't you?" Rika said.

Her emphasis on the word 'that' bothered Miyako, but she tried not to let it show.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what," Rika's tone was beginning to get to her. "It's probably the only way you're going to convince her. Relaying information is one thing, actually letting Suoh talk to her himself is-"

"Stop!" Miyako said firmly. "Don't even continue that sentence, and I'm going to pretend you didn't bring it up. You know I hate doing that."

"But you may have to," Rika answered matter-of-factly. "Try it your way first if you like, but if it doesn't work, you'll have no other choice."

Miyako groaned and rested her head against the pillar.

"If only you knew," she muttered into the mouthpiece. "If you only knew how painful and tiring it is…"

"Oh, buck up," Rika scolded playfully. "Don't be such a wimp, Miyako."

The medium smirked at that. "You know, it's amazing the things you and Kenji say to me on a daily basis that I could get you fired for."

"Like you'd actually do it," Rika teased back. "Just think about what I said, okay?"

Miyako sighed and re-adjusted the phone in her hand. "Fine, but I _really_ hope it doesn't come to that."

She heard the door creak open.

"Damn it," she cursed softly. "I have to go, Rika. Tell Kenji to wait in front of the school, I'm going to the hospital after this."

"Got it."

Miyako hung up the phone and edged over the side of the pillar, careful to stay out of view. Fujioka walked out of the office, accompanied by a teacher, who thanked her for her time before sending her on her way. When he was back in his office, Haruhi turned and walked slowly away. Miyako took note of how sad her slightly hunched over her form was.

Taking a deep breath, Miyako stepped out from behind the pillar and walked with brisk steps towards the young honor student.

**  
 _'They do NOT pay me enough for this.'_ "Ms. Inoue, I've told you time and time again, only family and close friends are allowed to see him and you are not on either-"

"I'm not here for him," Hasami quickly said.

The receptionist blinked. Hasami Inoue had been coming in every few days to try and force her way into Tamaki Suoh's room. The woman was starting to believe Hasami might be mentally unstable what with how she acting every time she was refused. The receptionist had promised Hasami the last time that if she tried it one more time, she'd be barred from the Hospital for good. Now the girl stood before her, looking completely normal, and apparently not interested at all in seeing Tamaki Suoh.

"I'm sorry, by the way, for my behavior these last few months," the dark haired girl stated, her eyes on the carpet. "I know I've been extremely rude, it's just that Tamaki-sam… er, Tamaki-kun is a dear friend of mine, and I wanted him to know that I was there supporting him, even if he doesn't know it."

At this, the receptionist couldn't help but feel a little pity. Perhaps Hasami wasn't really crazy; maybe she was just concerned for her friend (albeit very loudly and forcefully). She was no expert in psychology, after all.

"Who are you hear to see, then?" she relented.

"My friend Megumi," Hasami answered. "Megumi Arashi. She's in for a broken leg and I wanted to bring her some flowers and a Get Well card."

The receptionist quickly checked the computer and was able to confirm that a Megumi Arashi was on the fourth floor with a broken leg. She glanced at Hasami's arms, which held a bouquet of flowers with a colorful Get Well card attached to the plastic wrapping. It was partially open, allowing the woman to see a note inside directed at Megumi. She also took note of the fact that the fourth floor was extremely far from Tamaki Suoh's.

In the end, she had no real reason to throw Hasami out this time. She'd have to let her in.

"Let me give you a visitors pass."

**  
Five minutes later, Hasami walked up the stairs two at a time, passing the fourth wall without a second glance. She'd already disposed of the flowers and the card, at the same time smiling at her good fortune. It had been sheer luck that the Arashi girl had broken her leg. Hasami had never spoken to her before, but she'd found out through mutual friends. What a wonderful coincidence it was.

Were she going to live long enough, she might have gone to Arashi's room anyway to thank her, but there was no time. Every second counted.

As far as she knew, Tamaki-sama hadn't been killed yet. There definitely would've been an announcement at school that day if he had been. She didn't know how much longer it would be. They could be coming right now to end his life for all she knew.

Getting his room number had been easier than she thought. In fact, she already had that in the works before she found out Tamaki-sama was going to die. She remembered a creepy boy in the computers club who had a crush on her. Only a few shy smiles and compliments were needed to manipulate him into hacking the Ootori medical center's computer, a job which, according to him, took almost 3 days to accomplish. He'd called her last night and excitedly told her the room number, and all she had to do in return was promise him a date. It was an acceptable trade, not like she'd be around for him to collect on it, anyway.

In her pocket lay the piece of paper where she'd written her love's room and floor number. A quick glance at the door she was passing told her she had only two more floors to go.

"I'll be there soon, Tamaki-sama," she whispered to herself.

She quickened her pace, allowing the full pill bottle to shake and bounce around in her coat pocket.

_'Soon…'_

**  
"Hey, Fujioka!"

Haruhi stopped. She heard footsteps fast approaching and turned around to find a girl she'd never seen before approaching.

"Hello," Haruhi greeted her. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No," Miyako shook her head. "But I know you… well, not personally but I know of you."

Haruhi blinked with evident confusion. Something about this girl struck her as odd and she suddenly remembered something her dad had told her that morning before she left for school.

"Wait, are you Miyako Kita?" She asked.

The older girl nodded, not liking the cautious tone of voice Fujioka had taken.

"I need to talk to you," she said quickly. "It's important."

"My dad told me about you," Haruhi replied with a frown. "He said you came to my house yesterday and told him Tamaki-senpai was with you or something."

"That's about right, yeah," Miyako confirmed with a nod. "I actually wanted to see you, but you weren't home."

"I see," Haruhi said curtly before turning and walking away.

"Hey!" Miyako called after her. "Where are you going?"

Haruhi ignored her and kept walking.

"Look, I can keep up with you," Miyako was saying. "Let's just stop and discuss this rationally."

"Rationally?" Haruhi repeated with a laugh. "That's funny, coming from someone who thinks people in comas are following them around."

"That's actually not-"

Miyako was cut off when Haruhi turned around, her eyes alight with anger.

"Listen," she said in a low voice. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but it isn't funny or called for. Tamaki could be dying, how dare you make a joke of that."

"I'm not!" Miyako snapped, her own anger rising. "You can call me whatever you like, I've heard it all before. But I would never joke about this. Everything I'm saying right now is the truth. I am a medium, which means I can see and hear the dead, or in Suoh's case, the comatose."

Haruhi wasn't moving, so Miyako ventured a step forward.

"Whatever you believe, the fact is that Suoh's spirit has been bugging the Hell out of me for two days now. He's told me all kinds of things, like how you're really a girl and why you're in the Host Club, and right now, all he wants is to speak to you. That is the truth."

Haruhi's anger faded for just a second. The implications of that statement, while it logically couldn't be true, looked very good to her. What if it were possible that Tamaki's spirit had left his body? And what if this girl really was what she claimed to be and could see him? What if she really could talk to Tamaki again, and tell him how sorry she is, and how much she…

But it can't be true, her logical side said. Ghosts aren't real and neither are psychics. She probably figured out on her own that Haruhi was a girl, it wasn't that hard to figure out, after all; and she had to be bluffing when she said she knew how Haruhi got coerced into the Host Club. This girl is just a charlatan, she has to be.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," Haruhi muttered.

She heard Miyako give a frustrated sigh, but didn't care. Her anger had reignited and all she wanted to do was get away from this insensitive person.

"Don't bother me anymore," Haruhi pushed pasted the older girl. "I don't have time for games, and don't bother trying your lies with the others. I can't guarantee they'll be as nice as me."

She started to walk away, and for a moment, Miyako could only stand there and think about what she'd just heard.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Her words were so soft, the retreating Haruhi didn't hear them. She did however, hear Miyako's next statement.

"FINALLY! What the Hell took you so long?"

**  
"Oh, well excuse me, Miss Attitude," Hoki answered mockingly. "We had to get him out of an emo funk before bringing him over here, right Kid?"

Tamaki didn't hear him, he was too focused on the girl walking away.

"Haruhi!" he called out. "Haruhi, wait!"

She kept going, and Tamaki's shoulders sagged.

"She can't hear me…" he whispered miserably, falling to his knees. "She really can't…"

Miyako watched the scene in silence, her attention half on Suoh and half on Rika's words from before.

_"It's probably the only way you're going to convince her of anything."_

Miyako groaned. "Damn it, Rika, I hate when you're right."

She looked at Suoh, then at Fujioka, who was almost all the way down the Hall.

_'And I REALLY hate doing this.'_

"Suoh," her voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

Suoh glanced up at her with an incredibly downtrodden look in his eye. Miyako ignored it and stood in front of him.

"Stand up," she ordered.

He blinked, "Why?"

"Just do it!" Miyako snapped, sufficiently scaring him into doing what she said.

Once he was at full height, she turned so that her back was facing him.

"Put your hand on my back," she told him. "Over my heart."

The order clearly confused him as he continued to hesitate. Growing increasingly annoyed, Miyako whipped her head around and glared at him.

"Did you not hear me," she snapped. "She'll leave if you don't. Do what I say now, before I change my mind."

Tamaki continued to stare, but tentatively raised his arm. He saw Miyako brace herself, and wondered what she thought was going to happen. Haruhi's footsteps were fading more and more every second, and he knew he couldn't let her leave. He had to trust Miyako. Gently, his hand touched her back, and moved through it just as he'd expected.

Only this wasn't like the other times. Normally, he would move through a solid object or person like they were little more than air. This time, he felt as if he was being sucked through by a vacuum. He realized with a gasp that his hand hadn't come out the other side like it should have, and that an invisible force was literally pulling him into Miyako.

"Just relax, kid!" Hoki called out. Did that mean he knew what was happening?

Tamaki had no time to ask, as a minute later, his whole being was sucked into Miyako before he could make a sound.

Meanwhile, Haruhi was just about to turn the corner and put herself out of Miyako's sight, but she stopped dead in her tracks and whirled around in fright when she heard the other girl begin to scream.

**  
Hasami peeked through the glass window in the door. Tamaki-sama's room was at the end of the hall where the stairs were, meaning his door was right next to where she stood, obstructed only by a broom closet.

She sat in wait as the guards by the elevators stood with watchful eyes, ready to take down anyone who tried to get to their charge. According to her lover boy, they rotating shifts in approximately six more minutes. That was fine; Hasami could wait. She clutched the sleeping pill bottle in her hand and stared at the door. Just a few more minutes now.

**  
Tamaki's eyes opened. The first thing he noticed was how weird he felt, like he'd just gone on a roller coaster seven times in a row. He stood up straight, for he'd been leaning over the wall, and struggled to keep his balance amidst the dizziness.

"What was that?" He said loudly, then he shrieked and clutched at his throat.

"W-what the-" There is was again, his voice.

It sounded just like Miyako's.

Frantically, he ran to the window and it's reflective surface could just make out the face staring back at him. Miyako's face. He raised an arm experimentally, and Miyako's arm went up as well. Looking down, he saw not his usual school uniform, but a female one on a female body.

"Oh my God," he whispered. "I'm in Miyako's body?"

He took a moment to marvel at this. He'd seen possession in movies, but never thought that sort of thing could happen in real life. It seemed like many other things, he was very wrong about that.

He heard footsteps again, and suddenly remembered just what he should be doing at this moment.

"Haruhi!" He called out to her.

She didn't stop. Probably because she could only hear Miyako's voice and not his, but he still broke into a run, desperate to catch his love before he could lose her again.

"Wait, Haruhi stop!"

He caught up to her fast and grabbed her arm, making her instinctively pull away.

"Get off me!" she shouted. "What do you want now?"

"Haruhi, it's me!" There was no time to beat around the bush. "It's me, it's Tamaki!"

Haruhi's eyes widened for a second, then narrowed angrily again.

"You're crazy," she spat venomously at the person she thought was Miyako. "Let go now and get away from me."

"No!" Tamaki cried, holding on tight. "No, Haruhi, please. You have to believe. It really is me."

"Let GO!" Haruhi insisted, jerking her arm so hard she almost got it free.

Sensing no other way to stop her, and genuinely wanting to do this again, Tamaki raised his (Miyako's?) other arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her close to him.

"Please," he whispered. "Believe in me. I'm here, I'm always here. I told you that, remember? That you didn't have to be alone anymore."

At those words, Haruhi stopped struggling, her mind flashing back to all the moments she had shared with Tamaki. During that thunderstorm on Kyoya's private beach, that day in the maze, when they were flying in the air and he held her just like this…

"Please believe me…"

That voice, it wasn't his. It wasn't Tamaki's voice, and this wasn't Tamaki's body. It didn't look like him, sound like him, feel like him.

But in that moment, she had to believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was him.

"Tamaki…"

**  
Tamaki cried. He heard her say his name and the tears started to flow. He had wanted to cry so many times since his ordeal began, but he hadn't been able to. Now he was in a solid, physical body, and the girl he loved was in his arms. Tears streamed down his cheeks, releasing all the sadness and fear he'd been keeping for the past two days.

"Tamaki," Haruhi spoke again. "It's really you, isn't it?"

He smiled, "Of course it is, I'd never leave you, Haruhi."

She looked up at him with equally tear filled eyes. Slowly, she reached up and ever so lighting brush her fingers against his wet cheeks.

"You're crying…" she whispered.

He smiled, "It's okay. People are always saying I'm dripping with good looks."

The line didn't really fit the situation like it had all the other times, but it needed to be said. Because for Haruhi, it was the final proof necessary that this really was Tamaki Suoh holding her.

"How," she hiccupped. "How did this happen?"

Tamaki shook his head. "I don't know. That's not important right now. Listen, Haruhi, I don't blame you for anything. Don't believe for a minute that it was your fault, it was all mine. And more than anything, I want you to know that I've always lo- ERGH!"

Tamaki doubled over, letting go of Haruhi in the process. She stepped back, confused and scared.

"Tamaki, what is it?" She asked him, but he didn't seem to hear her.

She watched him struggled to breathe, and if she were a medium herself, she would have seen Tamaki's spirit suddenly fly out of Miyako's body and land on the ground three feet away. The screaming stopped, and Haruhi took a nervous step towards the body Tamaki was inhabiting, which now breathed heavily like someone who'd just run a marathon. When they looked up, Haruhi's heart sunk. Somehow, she just knew it wasn't Tamaki anymore.

"I'm sorry," Miyako breathlessly said. "I can't do that for very long…"

She fell to her knees and clutched her throbbing head. Her eyes fell on Suoh, who was watching her with a sad and frustrated look on his face. She wondered to herself just what Suoh had been saying to Fujioka.

**  
Kyoya sat side by side with his fellow Hosts, waiting anxiously for the doctor to say something. He'd asked to speak to them just a minute ago, but since then had just been pursuing a medical file in complete silence. Looking around, he could tell his friends were getting antsy, and rightfully so. If this fool of a doctor was just going to waste time, why did he even ask them here?

"As you all know," he finally spoke. "Our staff performs twice daily check-ups on Mr. Suoh."

Kyoya nodded, "What's your point?"

The doctor, momentarily making a face at the Ootori boy's tone, sighed, "It's difficult to say. I've spoken with young Mr. Suoh's father, and he's made it clear that we are not to turn off the life support under any circumstances. However…"

When he stopped, everyone became irritable fast.

"However what?" Hikaru demanded, standing up and causing Kaoru to try and pull him back down.

"I'm afraid it may not make much of a difference," The doctor concluded. "Young Mr. Suoh doesn't have a good chance of waking up anytime soon. It may never happen."

A palpable silence descended over everyone. The doctor was no stranger to this reaction, and so it didn't get to him as much as it used to.

"Forgive me for being so blunt," he said, sympathetically. "I didn't want to sugar coat it, so-"

"It's no problem, doctor," Kyoya interrupted him. "But you have no need for concern."

His mind's eye created a picture of Tamaki. His happy face and his idiotic grin, and he wanted to roll his eyes and smile at the same time.

"Tamaki _will_ make it," he said in a strong voice. "You'd understand if you knew him."

**  
Haruhi sat in the hallway. From her perspective, she was alone save for Miyako Kita. She knew, however, that this wasn't true. Tamaki Suoh was there with them as well, unseen by all but his fellow spirits and the medium sitting next to her.

"He says he was there when his Grandmother tried to pull the plug," Miyako told her.

Haruhi perked up a bit. "He saw that?"

Miyako nodded, "He says thanks for defending him."

Haruhi smiled slightly and leaned back against the wall. "I would have done it no matter what. She had no right to do what she did."

"Are you sure she didn't think she was doing the right thing?" Miyako asked. "I don't know much about Shizue Suoh, but are you sure she didn't think she was saving him from more pain?"

Haruhi stared vacantly at the older girl. Truthfully, she hadn't thought of that, only because it didn't seem like Tamaki's Grandmother cared one bit about him, The woman's eyes were so cold and her voice so emotionless.

"No," Haruhi shook her head. "I don't think so."

Miyako shrugged. "Well like I said, I don't know her."

The medium turned her head to the side, where Haruhi presumed Tamaki was sitting. Miyako listened for a minute, then rolled her eyes and turned around.

"He was at your house yesterday too," she said. "During the storm."

That made Haruhi's eyes widen. Last night had been a difficult one for her. Stormy weather had been a source of great fear since she was a child, and last night was no different. The two previous storms, she'd had Tamaki and Hikaru respectively to help her through it. Last night, she'd been all alone. The thunder seemed louder when she had nobody to sat with her. Now, knowing that she hadn't really been on her own; that Tamaki stayed with her even when there was nothing he could do…

He really did care, didn't he?

"He also says your pajamas are really cute," Miyako deadpanned.

Like a scratching record, Haruhi was brought back to reality and her eye started to twitch.

"I see," she said stiffly. "He didn't happen to watch me change, did he?"

She sent a glare in the direction she believed he was sitting, and apparently struck gold as Miyako gave a groan of annoyance.

"Would you stop yelling?" she said to him before turning to Haruhi. "He says he didn't… he will not stop saying he didn't… and now he's running for the corner. Why does he do that?"

Haruhi chuckled softly. Even as a spirit, Tamaki was the same as ever. She gave a sigh as she calmed back down, and the weight of the situation came back to her. She was wondering what to say next when Miyako spoke for her.

"He cares about you a lot," she said as she turned to look the younger girl in the eye. "You know that, right?"

Haruhi stared back, her mind once again filling with thoughts of Tamaki as she smiled. "Yes, I know. I… I care about him too."

**  
This was it.

She'd waited so long, too long for her to bear, but now Hasami stood over her love, his pale face and barely moving chest like a vision of Hell itself. It didn't matter though, it would be over soon.

Hasami leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Tamaki-sama's lips.

"Don't worry, darling," she whispered. "Your suffering ends now."

And then she got down on her knees, searching behind the machinery keeping him alive for the plug.

**  
Tamaki finally came out of the corner a few minutes later. He walked back to where the snickering Hoki and the annoyed Miyako sat beside his beloved Haruhi.

He stopped short when he felt an intense pain shoot through chest, like someone was stabbing him. Groaning, he fell to his knees, the pain was becoming worse every second and leaving him unable to keep from crying out again.

"Suoh, what the Hell?" was Miyako's startled shout.

"What's wrong with you, kid?" he heard Hoki say.

Through the corner of his eye, he saw Haruhi. She looked confused and scared, wondering why Miyako was suddenly acting so frantic. It only made the pain worse.

"What's wrong?" Miyako said harshly, but still with evident concern, both in her voice and her eyes.

"It's… my body," Tamaki choked out. "I think… something's wrong."


	11. Death of the King!

"You have to go faster!"

Kenji looked incredulously into the rearview mirror.

"Are you serious?" He asked the commoner girl. "I'm already taking a short cut and breaking the speed limit, what more do you want?"

"Less talking, more speeding!" Miyako shouted before Haruhi could answer.

The chauffeur pressed down harder on the gas. He didn't really care about getting a ticket; Miyako would probably take the blame and he'd get away with only a cut in this month's pay, which was inconvenient, but preferable to losing his job.

In the backseat, Miyako turned to the ghosts.

"How's Suoh?" she asked.

She didn't really need to ask, she could very clearly see him leaning so far into his seat that he was almost falling off. Hoki and Elissa sat on either side of him, the former just staring and the latter clutching his hand. Naru sat beside Elissa with her legs drawn up to the rest of her body, a frightened look on her face.

"He's still hurting," she weakly whimpered. "Why's he hurting, Miss Miyako?"

The medium bit down on her lip and shook her head helplessly. "I don't know, Naru-chan."

Miyako glanced at Fujioka. The younger girls face was pale and her clenched fists were shaking. Her face was set in wrought determination, though her eyes still belied a great deal of fear. Miyako knew she wasn't as good at reading living people as she was the dead, but she could tell when she looked in those eyes exactly what was going through her head.

Mostly because she herself was thinking about the same thing.

_'Is he dying?'_

**  
Hasami found the plug. She gripped it in her sweaty palm, waiting for the right moment to pull it. She'd planned it in her head a dozen times since this morning.

First Step: Pull the plug.

Second Step: Take the pills.

Third Step: Be with Tamaki-sama in Heaven forever.

She repeated the third step over and over again as she pulled.

**  
Tamaki screamed, the pain exploding anew. He didn't know how he knew, but somehow he was sure something had just happened to his body. Something very bad.

Kenji had just pulled over in front of the Hospital. Tamaki heard him mumble something about setting a new record time, but didn't pay him much heed. He heard Haruhi and Miyako jump out of the car. A second later, his door flew open and Miyako's head popped in, looking straight down at him.

"Can you walk?" she asked in a hard voice.

Tamaki swallowed and tried to nod. Neither the medium nor the other ghosts seemed to believe him, but he ignored their concerned stares and hoisted himself up. He hissed in pain as he forced himself into a standing position and gave a large, obviously fake grin to his new friends.

"S-see?" he stammered out with noticeable difficulty. "I'm j-just fine."

Another wave of pain hit right at that moment, sending him sprawling to the ground until he was caught midway by what appeared to be Hoki.

"I got him," The more experienced ghost said. "Let's go."

"Miyako, take your purse," Kenji called from the car.

The medium quickly grabbed the item from him and threw the strap over her shoulder. With that, the group ran up the steps of the Ootori Medical Center. Hoki lagged behind a bit from Tamaki's weight, but managed to keep up.

"You remember his room number, right?" Miyako questioned Haruhi as they entered the building.

"Of course," Haruhi looked almost offended by the question. "Room 7337, 10th floor."

Miyako nodded. They semi-ran to the front desk, startling the receptionist behind it.

"We're here to see Tamaki Suoh," The medium said breathlessly. "It's urgent."

Her tone had no effect on the woman, who simply raised a bored eyebrow and pulled a clipboard up from the desk.

"Names, please?"

Both Miyako and Haruhi deflated at that.

"The list, I forgot about it."

Next to her, Miyako looked from the uninterested woman to her companion and in haste, pushed the latter forward.

"This is Haruhi Fujioka," she said. "She's on the list, so let her up."

"Miyako-senpai!" Haruhi's tone made it sound like she was going to protest leaving her there.

"Just go," Miyako said, urging the shorter girl towards the elevators. "Better one of us get's in than neither. We have to find out what's going on."

Haruhi thought about that, and realized it made sense. Before leaving, she gave her upperclassmen a serious look.

"He's still here, right?"

Miyako nodded. She didn't bother looking for him, she could hear his ever increasing screams and groans of pain with perfect clarity. The medium gently but urgently pushed the smaller girl along.

"Go, now!"

Haruhi didn't need telling twice. She ran past the elevators to the stairs, there was no time to waste. Though she'd never been that good at track, her fear and concern for Tamaki gave her the strength to run up staircase after staircase until she finally reached the top step and the door to her love's floor stood before her. She ripped it open with only a split second's hesitation.

She was scared, she was deathly scared. She never felt this way unless it was during a storm, but on this sunny day, she was beyond terrified of what she would see when she opened the door and ran into Tamaki's room.

 _'He's alright,'_ she told herself. _'It's just a fluke. Maybe he's just having phantom pains or something. Or maybe he's playing a really awful joke on us. Or maybe I'm crazy and I've let myself believe an even more crazy person's story about being a medium and seeing Tamaki's spirit.'_

Of course, any other explanation was better than the one hitting her mind the hardest.

Haruhi didn't see anyone else in the hall, though she could hear voices in some of the rooms. Tamaki's door was just next to a broom closet, and she felt a stabbing pain of her own when she realized it was wide open.

She didn't think, she just ran, and soon she was standing in the doorway, looking on the scene before her.

It was nothing like she'd expected.

Her worst case scenario was obvious: Tamaki had died, either from his injuries or just his heart giving out. It would explain his pain and why he apparently couldn't walk. If that were the case, she'd believe it was nobody's fault save maybe the doctors for not providing proper treatment.

Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined she'd stand at the threshold of Tamaki's door, staring into the equally shocked eyes of a familiar young girl around her age in an Ouran girl's uniform.

"Haruhi Fujioka?" the girl looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What are you doing here?"

It was around this time Haruhi noticed the plug held tight in the girl's hand.

**  
Kyoya started a bit. He glanced around at his friends, they all looked about as quiet and disillusioned as he previously had.

They were waiting for Tamaki's other doctor to arrive. The man wanted to discuss some changes in procedure which might effect their visiting hour allotment, not that Kyoya wasn't sure he could talk them out of cutting their time, of course.

In all honesty, he didn't know why he'd suddenly been pulled back to reality, and he didn't know why he had such a negative feeling in his stomach.

Like something had just gone very, very, wrong.

**  
"What are you doing?"

It was all Haruhi could say. The words shook as they came out of her mouth, as did her fists. Her eyes burned into the girl's. A quick look at the wire's length showed her that it's other end was somewhere behind Tamaki's bed. That alone was enough to horrified and enrage her at the same time.

This girl.

This girl had-

Haruhi didn't have more time to complete her thoughts, as the other girl had finally come out of her stupor and charged forward, grabbing a metal bar as she went. The girl had already raised it over her head and swung down by the time Haruhi processed what was happening.

The bar cracked against the side of her head, causing an explosion of pain before the lights in Haruhi's mind went out.

**  
Miyako ran back to the limousine, her mind a haze of fear, frustration and annoyance.

"What happened?" Kenji called from the driver's seat.

"They wouldn't let me in," The dark haired girl growled. "Fujioka went ahead, I don't know what's happening."

"What about Suoh?"

Miyako's mouth opened, but all that came out was labored breaths from running. She glanced to the side, where Hoki stood holding Suoh over his shoulder. The medium shook her head when she saw him.

"Lay him down," she commanded, motioning to the ground with her hands.

Hoki obeyed immediately, and crouched down so Elissa could gently pull Tamaki down and lay him flat on the sidewalk. Tamaki's screaming had stopped for the most part, but he was still clearly in pain and groans emitted from his grit teeth every few seconds. Naru ran to his side, and this time she held his hand.

"It'll be okay, Mr. Tamaki," she said, sounding oddly mature all of a sudden, even though her voice still wavered.

"That's right," Elissa reassuringly went on. "He'll be just fine."

It couldn't be said whether she was trying to calm Naru, Tamaki or herself.

Beside her, Hoki suddenly gave a chuckle, causing the now incensed Elissa to whip her head around and glare at him.

"What in God's name could you be laughing about, you Cretin?"

Her voice was harsh, but Hoki paid no heed, and when he looked at the female ghost, she was surprised to see that he actually looked scared.

"It's nothing," he answered, defeated. "I just can't think of anything funny to say."

Elissa paused, then nodded in understanding, her face and her heart softening just a bit. Maybe he wasn't such a cretin after all.

**  
Hasami cautiously stuck her head out the door and looked around the edges. She saw no one, but still waited a moment, not wanting to take any chances. If anyone saw her, her plan was ruined.

When she was satisfied that no one was watching, Hasami drew her head back in and leaned forward to grab the unconscious Haruhi. She pulled the boy up by his elbow, momentarily noting how light and scrawny he felt. No muscle at all. He must really take this 'bishonen' thing seriously.

She was thankful for it, since it made dragging him out of the room a lot easier. Mentally she was cursing the stupid commoner boy and his bad timing. Unlike most of the girl's at the Host Club, including her so called 'friends', Hasami had never liked Haruhi Fujioka. She always got the feeling he was closer to Tamaki-sama than he should have been, and were she not sure her love wasn't into boys, she'd probably have been worried.

Whether or not Haruhi was in love with Tamaki-sama wasn't important anyway. Tamaki-sama would never love him or anyone else the way he did her. That's way he was going to die with her and not this rotten urchin she was holding.

Hasami pulled Haruhi's body into the closet, which luckily was unlocked and on quick inspection, large enough to hold a person. She would simply drop Haruhi inside, possibly tie him up in case he awoke and just leave him there. Much as she didn't like him, Hasami wasn't about to become a killer. Her and Tamaki-sama didn't count since it was a lover's suicide and he probably wanted it just as much as she did.

She pulled Haruhi inside, then moved to grab his legs so she could push him in completely. That done, she propped him up in a sitting position and searched around for something to tie the boy up with. The closet was a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside, leaving Hasami a bit more difficultly than she would've liked.

 _'Just hold on a little longer, Tamaki-sama.'_ She knew her thoughts wouldn't reach him, but thought them all the same. _'Once I've dealt with him, I'll be back and we can finally die together.'_

As she continued her search for a rope or some wire, Haruhi softly groaned.

**  
"…hurts… It hurts so bad."

If he were solid, Miyako would've slapped him. Instead, she leaned her face in as if about to kiss him, but anyone aware of the situation knew that definitely wasn't the case.

"Stop it, Suoh," She harshly said to him. "Stop this whining. You have to fight it. I don't know what's happening, but it can't be anything you can't endure. Just try to relax and it'll pass."

He gasped and grit his teeth, his back arching upwards as the vicious pain continued.

"You…" He ground out. "You don't know-"

"YES I DO!" She shouted, baring her teeth at him in a show of fury and smacking the cement with her open hand. "Don't argue with me!"

He tried to nod his head, and inwardly smiled. It seemed that no matter what she said, or how much she tried to act like she didn't, Miyako really did care.

"Miyako," he gasped. "Thank y- ARRRGH!"

Naru began to dry sob and shoved her face into Elissa's leg. Anything to not have to watch this anymore.

"AAAH!" Tamaki continued to scream, his eyes suddenly beholding flashes of random memory. Of France, of his mother, of the Host Club, of Haruhi…

"Oh mon Dieu!" He was barely aware of what he was saying anymore. "Pourquoi est-ce qui se passe? Pourquoi?"

"Japanese, please, Suoh!" Miyako's voice came out in a loud sing-song. "I don't speak French."

He didn't seem to hear her as his screaming continued.

"Ça fait mal, s'il vous plaît quelqu'un que ça s'arrête! Mère! Père! Haruhi!"

Tamaki's spiritual body shook in agony, and he was suddenly unable to form coherent phrases in either of his fluent languages. All he could to now was scream.

And so that's what he did.

**  
Haruhi's eyes opened slowly. Her head was aching and her vision took a moment to come back into focus, but she was able to move her head and see the girl who'd killed Tamaki with her back to her, rummaging through some boxes, clearly looking for something.

"Rope… rope…" the girl muttered.

It was easy to figure out what she needed rope for, and Haruhi knew she had to get out of there before the girl noticed she was awake. The door was still wide open, anyone who came by would probably see it and investigate, but she couldn't hear anyone coming. She'd just have to get herself out then. Haruhi took another glance at her potential captor to make sure the girl's attention was still on her search, then Haruhi slowly leaned forward until her hands were touching the ground.

She pulled her lower half up onto her knees and ever so gently began crawling to the door. She stopped a few times when she thought the other girl might be turning around, but she never did, and Haruhi was coming closer and closer to freedom.

Once she was out, Haruhi would run as fast as she could to find a doctor and a security guard. This girl had done something to Tamaki, Haruhi just knew it. She was barely a foot away from the door now. Her heartbeat had increased tremendously, she could hear it pounding in her ears and feel the sweat run down her brow.

Just a little more.

She shifted her leg a bit, she moved a hand forward. Her middle and ring fingers just barely brushed against the threshold. Almost there…

Something wrapped itself around her neck. Haruhi choked on her own breath as she was pulled onto her back. The girl mounted her, pushing the door closed with her foot as she went.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hissed, her eyes alright with fury.

Haruhi struggled to breath, and the girl tightened the wire around her neck.

"I never liked you, Fujioka," The girl laughed cruelly. "You're trying to horn in on Tamaki-sama, aren't you? You gay pervert, as if he'd ever love you."

Maybe it was the way she'd said the last word with such malice, or maybe it was just the meaning behind her awful words, but whatever the reason, Haruhi was suddenly boiling with anger. She forced herself into a sitting position. The girl yelped as she fell backwards, and Haruhi was finally able to take a good look at her as she stood and unwrapped the wire from her neck.

"You're Hasami, right?" she stated more than asked. "One of Tamaki-senpai's clients."

Hasami's answer was an enraged screech as she regained her bearings and lunged at Haruhi.

"You rotten bastard," Hasami shrieked. "I hate you! I hate all of you! How dare you try and take him from me."

Hasami stopped to deliver a punch to Haruhi's face. She gasped in pain, but could do nothing else as Hasami grabbed her by the wrists and held tight.

"People like you make me sick!" The other girl spat. "I can't stand you. You want him so bad? You don't deserve him! He's doesn't love you, he loves me! He's the only one who does!"

Though in pain and still struggling, Haruhi couldn't help but notice Hasami's eyes filling with tears.

"He loves me," She sobbed. "He loves me for me! Not like my family. My dad only loved me because I looked like my mother and let him do what he wanted. My friends don't care, they all talk about me behind my back, I know they do! Tamaki-sama's the only one who ever loved me honestly. I can say anything to him, do anything, and he still smiles and tells me I'm beautiful. Has he ever told you that you were beautiful? I bet he hasn't. You're too filthy, you don't deserve him. He would never love you, you little-"

"Yes he has," Haruhi whispered.

"Eh?" Hasami suddenly noticed that Haruhi hadn't been struggling for the last few seconds. She looked down at his face, and saw a hard glint in his eyes.

"He has told me," the boy said softly. "Because he loves _me._ "

Haruhi's fist flew up and punched Hasami hard in the face.

**  
"Haruhi… Haruhi…"

"Come on," Miyako groaned. "Stop it, you aren't gone yet."

She was kneeling before him, doing her best to quiet him despite the fact that no one else could hear him and she probably looked ridiculous to passerby. None of that mattered at the moment. Suoh was the important thing.

Kenji had gotten tired of sitting pointlessly in the limousine, and now stood at Suoh's feet, looking to Miyako for answers she couldn't provide. The teenager stared at her friend, a pleading look in her eye he hadn't seen since she was a young child. He just wished he knew what to say, he'd never been that good at providing comfort.

Miyako didn't know what to do. She wished she could take that stupid list and burn it, anything so she could just go see what was happening and maybe know what to do.

"Miyako!" Elissa's scream rang out.

The medium whipped back around, taking in a full view of Suoh, and immediately understood what the female ghost was wanted her to see.

Suoh's body was fading.

**  
In Tamaki's room, his breathing began to slow. The machines keeping him alive had ceased function, only his heart monitor still worked, and it too was slowing more and more every second.

Next door, Haruhi had only been able to overpower Hasami for a few seconds. The girl had grabbed onto her leg just as Haruhi had been about to run and pulled her back down; Hasami was much stronger than she looked and Haruhi was no athlete.

"You'll pay for that," Hasami growled, using her body to keep Haruhi's down and pressing on her mouth with one hand so she couldn't scream. "The only reason I haven't silenced you is because I pity you. You're so stupid if you think he really loves you."

Haruhi jerked around as hard as she could to knock Hasami off while at the same time trying to free her once again trapped arms. Hasami smirked, the boy's continued attempts to get free were positively hilarious.

"You're too late anyway," She informed him. Haruhi slowed a bit at that. "I've already pulled the plug. He's going to die any minute, and soon I'll join him. You can just wait here for the doctors to come, and then go live the rest of your pathetic little life. I don't care, he'll be mine forever by then."

"He doesn't love you," Haruhi hissed in anger through Hasami's hand. "And whether lives or dies, eventually he'll find out about this, and then he'll _hate_ you!"

In truth, she didn't believe Tamaki had the capacity to hate anyone, but more than anything Haruhi wanted to hurt Hasami. She was so enraged she couldn't think clearly anymore. Her words had the affect she desired, as Hasami's grip lessened a bit from the shock of such a statement. By the time she regained herself, Haruhi had gotten her arm free and was pushing at her face. Hasami sputtered and shifted positions. Her now free hand grasped Haruhi's, while her other one pressed Haruhi into the ground by her chest.

Suddenly, Hasami gasped. She lowered her right arm, but kept the other one on Haruhi's torso, her hazel eyes boring into Haruhi's brown as if suddenly seeing her in a different light.

"This…" Hasami pressed down harder, making Haruhi wince from the slight pain. "This is… you're a girl?"

Her jaw was completely down and she seemed to be struggling to breathe.

"All this time… you've been a _girl?_ "

Hasami was completely thrown by this development, leaving Haruhi a perfect opportunity to escape and get help. Haruhi pulled herself up as quick as she could, leaving Hasami on the ground as she stood up and bolted for the door. She grabbed the handle and turned it. She was almost out.

Arms grabbed her by the shoulders. Haruhi shrieked as she was flipped over and violently thrown against the metal door, smacking the back of her head in the process and briefly seeing stars. Hasami pressed something cold and metal against Haruhi's neck. With her teeth bared, and her eyes wide and her breath coming out loud from her nostrils, she looked more animal than human.

"You're a girl," Hasami repeated in a low, growling voice. "So that's it. You thought you could fake being a boy. Get on his good side. You little bitch, I won't forgive you for that."

The force against her neck vanished, and Hasami raised a pair of scissors in the air over Haruhi's face.

With a scream, Hasami flung her wrist down, but Haruhi caught it with her own free hand. From there, an all out power struggle began. Whenever it looked like one was about to prevail, the other turned the tides, if only for a second. Hasami was clearly pushing with all she had, and showed no signs of giving up any time soon. Haruhi called up whatever strength she had left, picturing Tamaki in her mind, Tamaki safe and alive and happy in her arms. It would happen. He wouldn't die, and she would escape and they would be happy and everything would go back to normal.

Haruhi believed that. She believed it stronger than anything else.

She believed in Tamaki.

**  
"What's happening?" Tamaki gasped.

The pain was gone. It had been so strong, so unbearable, but now he felt nothing. Literally nothing, he was completely numb.

"NO!" Miyako screamed. "You can't die!"

 _'Die?'_ He repeated mentally. _'I'm dying?'_

Miyako, meanwhile, could only watch Suoh fade a little more every second. His body was increasingly transparent, Naru and Elissa gave tearless sobs in the background and Kenji was demanding answers. Hoki was looking at her and shaking his head. He knew what was going on just as she did.

"What's happening?" Suoh's voice was echoing now, and becoming harder for her to make out.

"No!" Miyako shouted futilely again.

In his last moment on earth, before his body and consciousness completely faded, it was clear that only one person was on his mind, and as he vanished, it was her that he called to.

"Haruh…" She could no longer hear him. His body was completely transparent now.

And then he was gone.

In the hospital room far away from there, Tamaki's body had stilled; his heart monitor showed a flat line and rang out a steady beep.

Miyako stared at the spot where just a moment ago, Tamaki Suoh had rested. She sat there on her knees, just like two years ago when he entered her life in a flash and left it just as quickly. Back then, he'd left her on her knees, just like he did now. But last time, he'd left her in peace, with a cheerful smile across his face, and as he walked away with a confident, friendly air about him, her own lips had turned upwards of their own volition. She had smiled… just like he wanted.

_"A pretty girl like you should smile."_

Her eyes filling with tears, Miyako cried out in rage and punched the ground.

"You stupid... you stupid son of a bitch..."


	12. So Many Roads Ahead!

_'Where am I?'_

Tamaki looked around, everything was white. There weren't even any discernable features about wherever he was currently standing in. When he took a step, his foot landed on something solid, but when he looked down, he saw nothing but air beneath his feet.

He raised a hand to his neck, pressing down and feeling for a heartbeat. There was none.

"Does this mean I'm dead?" he asked himself. "If so, then this must be-"

"Oh, hello there!"

Tamaki whirled around. A shadowy figure walked through the clouds towards him. For some reason, the sight didn't bother him much, whereas on Earth he might've felt a bit nervous. Perhaps losing fears was just a part of dying?

As the figure approached, Tamaki was able to make out a woman. A pretty woman in her 30s, he'd wager, with long brown hair tied back and soft brown eyes. She looked strikingly familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he'd seen her.

"Tamaki Suoh," she said cheerfully. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon."

Tamaki blinked. "You… How do you know my name?"

The woman chuckled. "I know more than just your name. I've been watching you for quite some time now."

Tamaki thought about that, and a million new questions formed in his mind. Before he got to those, though, he had to ask the one most prevalent.

"Is this Heaven?"

Now it was the woman's turn to look confused. She stared at him for a moment, then let out another, louder chuckle.

"Heaven?" she repeated through her laughter. "No, silly. This is more like… Heaven's doorstep, if you will."

Tamaki looked around again. Despite what she said, this sure looked like Heaven, at least as it was portrayed in the media. Clouds everywhere, all white, and when he looked down, he noticed his school uniform was gone, replaced by an all white shirt and pants.

"So where is Heaven, if not here?"

The woman smiled and pointed at something directly to the left.

"That right there," she told him. "That's Heaven."

Tamaki followed her finger with slight eagerness. His mind was still a bit fuzzy, dying had kind of messed his memory up, so he couldn't recall much before waking up here. Tamaki gazed at the spot her finger was pointing at, expecting to see a glorious gateway or a choir of angels ready to sing him to his final rest.

Instead, he saw nothing.

Tamaki glanced back at her, then at the empty space. What was she talking about? There was nothing for miles around.

"You mean, you can't see it?"

Tamaki jumped, just realizing he'd spoken his thoughts aloud. The woman's cheerful face had melted into amazement, and she studied him for a moment before breaking out into a grin.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" She cheered, clasping her hands together. "That means it's not your time yet."

When he made it clear that he didn't understand, the woman continued.

"Only those who have truly died can see it," she explained. "If you can't, then you aren't ready to enter yet."

Her words sunk in fast, and made Tamaki's heart swell. He was going to live! He was going to see his family and his friends and Haruhi again! It was just too good to be true.

"But wait," His joy was briefly replaced by wonder. "Why aren't you in Heaven now, is it not your time too?"

At this, the woman's smile saddened. "Unfortunately, it is. The only reason I haven't entered yet is because I'm waiting for my husband. I don't want to go without him."

"Is he sick?" Tamaki asked.

"Oh no," the woman shook her head rapidly. "He's very healthy. No, I still have a while yet to wait. But it's okay, I've already waited ten years, what's a few more decades?"

Tamaki gaped at her, though inside, he was smiling warmly. Such sweet love this woman must have for her husband, to wait so long for him. The woman grinned and took a step away from him, gently pulling him by the arm as she went.

"Come on," she said. "Walk with me."

**  
Kenji Ito could not see ghosts. In fact, before Miyako came around, he hadn't even believed in them. From the stories his young friend had told him, he was quite glad he didn't have the power she did, it seemed like such a hassle.

Still, there were times like right now, when he almost wished he could see ghosts, because at least then he might have an idea of what was going on. Miyako seemed too in shock to tell him anything. After her initial outburst, she'd gone strangely quiet, and was staring at the ground before her so hard she probably could have dented it with her mind.

He'd given up asking questions a while ago, now he was just concerned for his charge, but he didn't know what to say.

 _'Where's Rika when you need her?'_ He groaned to himself. His sister was always better at giving pep talks than he was.

He had to do something, though. He had to at least try.

Kenji took a deep and kneeled down to Miyako's level. Even from here, he couldn't see her face. Her hair kept it completely covered, and so he had no idea what she was thinking.

"Look, Miyako," He started, his voice shaking a bit with uncertainty. "Miyako, I- You… That is to say, you-"

"…an…e"

Kenji blinked and squinted his eyes at her. "What was that?"

Miyako's head shot up. Her tears had dried but her eyes were still reddish. Despite this, she looked more determined than sad, and her voice was steady when she spoke again.

"This can't be," She said. "I don't believe it."

Before Kenji knew it, Miyako shot up and took of in a run, swerving away from the main entrance and towards the side.

"Come on," she shouted over her shoulder. "There has to be an emergency door or something!"

**  
Tamaki and the woman walked in silence. She seemed to be off in her own world, a gentle smile plastered across her features. For his part, Tamaki was trying to sort through his thoughts and figure out what exactly had happened to him and where'd he'd seen the woman before.

He knew he was hit by a truck, and he knew he'd been in a coma. Everything else was a complete jumble. He could recall bits and pieces of voices, from his father and Kyoya and Haruhi, and some other girl he didn't know very well. What was her name again? Minami? Kayako?

Miyako! That was it.

"Something wrong?" The concerned woman asked him.

Tamaki glanced at her while rubbing his forehead. "My head feels all weird. I can't remember how I got here."

"Oh, don't worry about that." She assured him. "That happens a lot to new arrivals, you'll remember soon enough. Plus, you're going back soon, so it's not a problem."

Tamaki nodded, that was good to know. He still wished he could remember faster.

"You know something, Tamaki?" The woman had stopped walking and placed herself in front of him. Tamaki noticed then that she was quite a bit shorter than him. "You're a very interesting person."

"Eh?" Tamaki didn't quite know what to make of that. "You think so?"

She gave a nod of her own. "Like I said before, I've been watching you. Your friends as well. You guys are really funny, by the way. They should make an anime about you, it'd be a hit!"

She stopped to giggle.

"But I digress," as the woman's laughter died away, her smile began to appear older somewhat, but nonetheless warm and kind. "I may not have known you when I was alive, but I see that you've had it rough, what with your mother and everything. She's worried sick about you, you know."

Something alerted Tamaki to a group of shifting clouds right beside him. He turned, and saw that the clouds were separating slowing, and the now clear space had a shine to it like a TV screen. It remained as white as everything else for a second, then sprang to life, and projected a clear image of a beautiful blonde woman praying before a statue of the Virgin Mary.

"Mother!" Tamaki gasped, falling to his knees before the vision.

She hadn't changed much in the two years since he last saw her. Her face still betrayed little age, though the bags under her eyes could only be from lack of sleep. He wondered how she found out about his condition since he was never allowed to contact her, but it if was clear that she knew. Her prayers gave it all away.

"She looks…" What could he say about her after all this time? "She looks… sad."

"Of course she's sad," The woman said, matter-of-factly. "Her son is dying, what else would you expect?"

Tamaki's eyes widened in fear as she turned to her.

"But I thought you said I was going back," He pleaded.

The woman was unfazed by his semi-outburst, and her smile had faded to make room for sadness as she shrugged her shoulders at him.

"She doesn't know that."

 _'Oh.'_ Tamaki's face fell and he turned back around to look at his mother. _'That makes sense.'_

**  
"Found one!"

Miyako sprinted to where Elissa was standing. The ghost held the sniffling Naru in her arms and so motioned with her head towards the emergency door. Miyako had already seen it anyway.

"Alright," The medium called to the ghost. "Good work."

She grasped the door handle and pulled. When it didn't budge, Miyako concluded that it was locked and felt like screaming again.

"It's locked," She muttered in anger.

Hoki took the opportunity to phase through the door. His head popped out a second later.

"It's a key lock," He explained to the deflated Miyako. "Do you have a hair pin or something?"

The dark haired girl gave him a funny look, but knew she had nothing else to lose and fished around her purse for a spare hair pin. She struck gold and pulled the small item out. Hoki grabbed it, and Miyako realized for the first time that Kenji had followed her due to his sudden gasp at seeing a hair pin floating in mid air. After a slight struggle, Hoki managed to get the pin inside by sliding it under the door. Then there was a series of clicking sounds, and just like that, the door burst open, revealing a triumphantly smiling Hoki.

"How did you do that?" A stunned Elissa asked.

"Learned it in the Army. Now let's go!"

**  
Tamaki had been staring at the image of his mother for longer than he knew. He didn't want to look away, because he knew this may be his only chance to see her for a long time. And when the image suddenly faded away, he felt a weight drop into his stomach.

Mother!" He cried for a second time, but it didn't return.

"I'm sorry," the woman behind him said. "But you shouldn't linger for too long."

She moved to kneel in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders in a motherly fashion.

"I'm sure you'll see her again for real someday," she said softly. "In fact, I know you will. Just have faith, okay?"

Tamaki didn't look at her for a few seconds. When he did, he was close to tears, but smiling anyway, because he knew that she was right.

"Well then," The woman stood back up and placed her hands on her hips. "I think it's almost time for you to go, so let me give you some parting words."

Her voice had taken on an authorative tone that Tamaki found surprising. He saw movement beside him and looked again at the TV screen-like square. The image it now showed wasn't of his mother, but of Miyako and the ghosts running down a hallway. Then it switched again to two girls struggling with each other in what looked like a large broom closet. He instantly recognized the girl closet to him, and the sight of her brought everything back.

"Haruhi!" He screamed, leaning forward to put his hands on the 'glass'. "What's going on? Who is that girl? My body…"

He clutched his chest. It didn't hurt anymore, but he could vividly remember the pain and shivered. Tamaki stood and whirled around to the woman, who looked even less pleased by the scene than he did, if that were possible.

"I have to go back!" He cried.

"I know," she answered with a nod. "You're going back now, I can feel it."

Tamaki opened his mouth to question her, but got his answer when he felt pain surge though his chest. Unlike the first time though, this pain lasted only a few seconds and felt like a shock. Tamaki's knees buckled, but the woman to didn't move to help.

"There it goes," she said wistfully. "You'll be back soon, Tamaki. Don't worry, everything's going to be alright."

"Wait a minute," Tamaki cried. "I have to ask- ARGH!"

Another shock went through him, cutting his words off.

"I was going to tell you," The woman didn't even acknowledge his words. "Don't worry about Miyako, she may be angry, but once you open your eyes, I think you'll find you have some common ground with her."

"Wait," Tamaki desperately gasped out. "I've seen you before, I know I have. Who are you?"

Her response was little more than a knowing smile.

"You're a good man, Tamaki Suoh," She told him in a wavering voice. "Take good care of Haruhi, okay?"

A third surge of pain hit him, this one the worst of them all.

He began to fall.

Tamaki opened his mouth but couldn't scream as the whiteness disappeared, replaced by blackness. It was almost like the day he'd fallen into the river with Haruhi in his arms, and he replayed that memory in his head until the falling stopped.

He felted something under him. A mattress of some sort. His fingers rested on a scratchy material and felt strange when he tried to move them… wait, felt?

Tamaki gasped and scrunched up his face. His whole body ached and could hear a ringing in his ears.

Slowly but surely, Tamaki's violet eyes opened. He found himself looking at a white ceiling. His eyes darted in all different directions. A few chairs sat on one side, a lot of medical equipment on the other. His breathing was heavy, he was suddenly aware that he actually had to breath. He raised a shaky hand to his neck and pressed down.

His heart was beating. Slow, but strong.

"I'm back?" He whispered, struggling to sit upright. "I'm really…"

He couldn't celebrate for long, because just then he heard a thud and someone scream. The image of Haruhi and her fight with that girl came back to him hard, and he gasped.

"Haruhi!"

**  
The back entrance had been far away from the main one, and so it took longer to find a staircase than Miyako would have liked. She pumped her legs as hard as she could and took a moment to envy the ghosts and their lack of breathing.

"I see the elevators!" Hoki cried from just ahead of them, pointing down a certain hallway. "The stairs are right next to them."

Miyako nodded her thanks and she and the others made a sharp turn. The door to the stairs was just up ahead. They were almost there.

**  
Tamaki ripped the wires from his arms and torso. Ignoring the pain, he stumbled out of the bed and to the door. He could still hear grunting and struggling coming from the next room, and pulled himself into the empty hallway, paying no mind to his shaking legs and throbbing head. He turned to the side and found a large closed door labeled 'BROOM CLOSET'. His heart swelling, Tamaki grabbed the handle and pulled open the door.

**  
Haruhi didn't know how long she'd been fighting Hasami's attack, but it felt like hours. Her arm felt like it was about to break off, she knew she couldn't hold out much longer. She kept going only by thinking of all she would leave behind if she let this girl kill her. Her friends, her education, her father, Tamaki…

The door swung open. Haruhi didn't believe it at first, but felt a wave of relief knowing someone had finally come to help her. She'd expected Hasami to stop, drop the scissors and back away, but she didn't expect the other girl to gasp, fly back towards the wall and fall to her knees. Her eyes were filling with tears. Was she really that terrified that she'd been caught?

"Haruhi…"

When she heard it, Haruhi's insides froze. That voice, she knew that voice. Slowly, as if not daring to believe it was true, she turned around to look at her savior.

And Tamaki stared right back at her.

**  
Tamaki leaned against the door, his breathing still very heavy and his body screaming in pain. He didn't care though, because Haruhi was standing before him, shaken and out of breath herself, but unharmed. He never wanted to hold her more than at that moment, but his body was still having trouble with movement.

"Haruhi," he said her name again. He could never say it enough times.

Haruhi stared at him in turn, her brown eyes alight with unshed tears, and she raised shaking hands to him, placing them gently on his face.

"You're alive," her voice quivered. It was absolutely adorable, and he almost felt like laughing happily.

"Tamaki-sama,"

Both of them started a bit at the voice. Tamaki stared at the girl who'd been attacking his Haruhi, first with anger, then shock once he recognized her.

"Hasami-hime?" He gasped. "Is that you?"

The girl got to her feet and ran to them, pushing Haruhi away as she did so and threw her arms around him.

"You're alive!" she cried. "You're alive! I don't believe it, I thought when I pulled your life support you'd surely die, but… oh, it's a miracle!"

She was so happy, she didn't notice that Tamaki wasn't hugging her back, and rather was completely rigid against her.

"Did you say…" He felt a daze come over him. "You pulled my life support?"

Hasami struggled to stop her tears and moved away a bit to look up at him apologetically.

"Yes," she answered honestly. "I'm sorry, Tamaki-sama. I just couldn't bear the thought of them doing it themselves. I love you so much, and I know you feel the same way. So I decided I would turn off your life support myself and then take some sleeping pills. That way, we could be together in Heaven, but now that you're back, I- huh?"

Tamaki pushed Hasami away from him, effectively cutting off her words. His face betrayed no emotion save sadness, anger and pity. Hasami's smile faded a bit.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Aren't you happy?"

There was a tense pause.

"Hasami," Tamaki searched for the right words. "You are a lovely girl, I've always said that."

She smiled again and gave a nod.

"I know," she answered happily. "I've treasured your words."

Tamaki sighed and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he told her quietly. "I never meant to mislead you and I meant everything I said, but I don't… I don't feel that way about you."

Hasami blinked, a tiny sound came out from the back of her throat.

"Wh-what?" She stammered.

"Please understand," he continued. "I know you aren't a bad person, and I don't want to hurt you, I just can't be with you. Forgive me."

The girl didn't answer. Her mouth hung open and she stared blankly into his eyes, tears forming in her own. Tamaki didn't know what was going through her mind, but he'd come to the conclusion both from what he'd seen and what he heard that she needed help, help he could not provide, no matter how sad it made him.

He moved away from her, and she didn't try to stop him. Haruhi had watched the exchange in silence, and now the two stood before each other, not speaking or moving, just looking. Tamaki imagined he looked like a mess. The last time he'd seen himself, he certainly didn't look his best. Haruhi looked just as beautiful as he remembered, even though she was crying, which he never liked seeing.

Without warning, Haruhi let out a happy sob, prompting Tamaki to finally close the distance and wrap his arms around her small frame. She hugged him back with equal if not stronger force, like she was afraid he would disappear if she let go.

"You're alive," she whispered against his chest.

Tamaki could only nod.

"You're really here."

"Yes."

Haruhi looked up with a smile despite the tears still running down her face.

"I was so afraid," she choked out. "I thought you might've died."

"Never," He told her, pulling her tighter to him. "I'll never leave you alone again."

Haruhi sniffled, and raised a hand to wipe her tears away.

"Senpai," she started to say, her stomach doing flip-flops from what she was about to tell him. "I need to-"

"Wait," Tamaki interrupted, causing her eyes to widen adorably. "I want to ask, can you not call me senpai anymore?"

Haruhi blinked, the odd request leaving her unsure.

"Buy why?" she asked.

Tamaki opened his mouth to answer, but no words would come out. How ironic was it that he was such a smooth talker when Hosting, and yet tongue-tied around the girl he truly loved. In the end, he decided if he couldn't say it, he might as well show it. His face broke into an easy smile, and before Haruhi knew it, he lowered his head and captured her lips with his.

Haruhi gasped and her body froze, but she didn't stop him. Her body soon relaxed, and she tentatively returned the kiss, prompting Tamaki to deepen it. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, using their first kiss to express all the feelings they'd held so long for each other.

Tamaki's ears perked up when he heard heavy breathing from right in front of them. He then remembered that Hasami was still in the closet with him, watching everything. Breaking the kiss, he glanced at the girl and saw that she was staring at them intently, her face a mask of pure fury.

"So that's it," she said in a low, dangerous voice. "You and her… fine then."

Tamaki pulled Haruhi to him protectively. Hasami let out a scream and raised the scissors to strike, her eyes on Haruhi.

"No!" Tamaki pulled Haruhi behind him, ready to take the insane girl's attack for her, when-

**BZZZZZZT**

Tamaki and Haruhi's head snapped to Hasami. The scissors had fallen from her hand, and her mouth formed a surprised but silent 'o'. Hasami's knees buckled, and she slumped to the floor, out cold. With her out of the way, Tamaki could clearly see Miyako, stun gun in hand.

"Only back for a minute and already you're in trouble, huh Suoh?" She said flatly.

"Miyako!" Tamaki cried, feeling a rush of gratitude towards the girl.

"Don't try to hug me," Miyako informed him, seeing it coming from a mile away. "You're both okay, right?"

Both Tamaki and Haruhi nodded. Miyako closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

"Right, good," She said. "Guess I'll see you at school then."

With that, the medium turned on a heel and exited down the staircase. Tamaki slowly walked to the door and peered through the small window. He saw Miyako walk down the stairs with Kenji behind her. The chauffeur looked up for a moment and locked eyes with Tamaki. Somehow, Kenji seemed to know immediately who he was looking at, if his smile and thumbs up were any indication. The older man then started, Miyako had probably called out to see what was keeping him. With a final grin at Tamaki, the man stepped down again and disappeared from sight.

Now alone, Tamaki turned back to Haruhi, who was standing outside the closet.

They both opened their mouths to speak, but footsteps interrupted them before any words could even come out. Tamaki looked up, his eyes meeting a pair of glasses covered gray ones across the hall.

**  
Kyoya moved with a slight edge to his steps. He hadn't mentioned his fears to the others, but wanted to get to Tamaki's room as fast as possible. He wondered whether it was a good or bad thing that Haruhi was not with them at the moment, but chose not to concern himself with that.

"I think something's bugging Kyoya-senpai," he barely heard Hikaru mutter to Kaoru, who nodding in agreement.

_'Just pray that I'm wrong.'_

They stepped into an elevator, the doctor's office had been on the eighth floor meaning they only had to go up two. The doors opened on the tenth floor, and Kyoya was the first one out. He was having a hard time keeping himself from running; all he wanted to do watch dash into Tamaki's room and make sure his idiot of a best friend wasn't dead.

He turned the corner into the main hallway, his eyes dead ahead of him.

And stopped.

Behind him, all talking from his companion ceased and they stood just as still and stared just as amazed at the sight before them.

Tamaki Suoh. Awake. Standing. Watching them.

They were still for what seemed like an eternity, daring not to believe it was true. Haruhi was beside him, leaning against him so he could stand. Kyoya took the first step forward and the other were quick to follow. Soon, they stood directly in front of their leader, who greeted them with a smile they thought they'd never see again.

"Hello, Gentlemen," He greeted them in that ridiculous attempt at authority he often tried. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Like a dam, those words made the silence break. Hunny, Hikaru and Kaoru attacked him with cries of joy and hugs. Even Mori joined in, though he didn't make a sound, just smiled softly at Tamaki as he patted him on the head. Kyoya was the last to join in. He'd never been one for displays of affection and would deny he did this later on, but this one time, he made an exception. He pushed his way through and wrapped an arm around Tamaki's neck, pulling his head close and fighting back tears.

"You are such a moron," He muttered in Tamaki's ear. He could sense the blonde's grin of response.

The seven of them remained there crying and hugging, not caring one bit who saw them. It didn't matter, because the Ouran High School Host Club was reunited at last.

**  
Unbeknownst to the group, a middle-aged man stood by the elevators watching them. When Yuzuru had seen his son awake and moving, he'd been beside himself with joy and it took everything he had not to run out there, hug Tamaki and never let go.

Instead, he observed them with a smile on his face. Let them have their tearful reunion, he decided. He could wait for his.

**  
Miles away from the Ootori Medical Center, Kyung Kita sat in her study. She pursed her lips and turned the pages of her binder.

"What a difficult job," she said to herself.

Her current client was extremely picky, insisting on a precise type of wood for her cabinets in a precise color and with a precise smell even. Kyung had no idea where the woman had gotten that last one. Much as she loved being an interior designer, some of the people she wound up working for were just nuts.

**Knock Knock**

Kyung glanced up over her reading glasses, expecting to see Mrs. Noda or another staff member at the door. She jolted in her seat when she realized it was neither.

"Miyako?" Kyung addressed her step-daughter, pushing her chair back to stand. "What is it? Do you need something?"

The teenager drummed her fingers against the side of the door and continually shifted her weight between each leg.

"No, I uh…" Miyako trailed off for a moment. "I was just wondering what you were doing."

It came out a bit fast, but Kyung still caught it, and was torn between bewilderment and confused happiness. Her face broke out in a smile, it would have been a grin but she stopped herself in time.

"I'm just looked over some swatches," she answered, failing to hide her excitement. "My client is being difficult. She wants mahogany in a certain color but with a completely different shade than normal. I don't know what she's thinking, really."

Miyako shrugged, "Maybe she's just messing with you."

Kyung snorted, "Well if she is, I'm definitely putting in cedar wood. It doesn't match the rest of the interior at all."

The older woman laughed at her own joke and Miyako forced herself to do the same. Okay, so maybe she wasn't so interested in her Step-mother's work and the woman probably wouldn't care for her interest, but this was something. It was a start.

 _'I am trying,'_ she thought to herself as she sat down and let Kyung continue chattering. _'That's all you wanted, right Suoh?'_

And who knows, maybe someday she would find some common ground with Kyung after all.

**  
Somewhere in France, a woman listened quietly as her employer's daughter joyously told her the news. She took in all she was hearing, and allowed a smile to grace her features. When Éclair was finish, Anne-Sophie gave her a tight hug and politely excused herself. She needed to get back to the Chapel as soon as possible.

This time, she would be praying in thanks.

**  
Two weeks passed. The busiest of Tamaki Suoh's life by far.

Thanks to his little excursion, he needed a few extra days rehabilitation to be able to move around properly again. Six days after waking up, Tamaki Suoh was discharged from the Hospital and went home accompanied by his fellow hosts and best friends.

Hasami had been taken into custody by Hospital security and later the actual police. Tamaki later discovered the girl had been living with her Aunt and Uncle after her father lost custody due to charges of repeated sexual abuse. When he heard the news, he felt a wave of pity for the girl, as did Haruhi, despite what had happened. Both of them refused to charge the girl and her Aunt and Uncle made the decision to put her in a mental institution, in the hopes that one day, she could recover from her numerous psychosis's. Though they felt bad for her, Tamaki and Haruhi made a silent decision not to visit any time soon.

The Host Club reopened the day Tamaki arrived back in school par his insistence. Kyoya had wanted to wait a few days so the Host Club King could regain his strength and get re-accustomed to school, but Tamaki would have none of it.

That day would go down on record as the largest turnout the Host Club ever received. Everyone wanted to see Tamaki and he was probably glomped and cried on more times that day to last ten lifetimes. At one point, Shizuka-hime and a few of Hasami's friends came over to tearfully apologize on their friend's behalf.

"If we'd only known," Shizuka murmured. "She always seemed so happy. I hope you can forgive her, Tamaki-senpai."

"Haruhi-kun, too," the girl beside her piped in.

Tamaki chuckled and gave them a reassuring smile, making them all sigh in relief.

"It's just so sad," a third friend said softly. "I went to visit her yesterday and she was completely delusional. She kept insisting that Haruhi-kun was a girl, can you believe that?"

The other girls smiled a bit despite the obvious sadness for their friend. Tamaki could only laugh nervously.

Everyday from then on preceded as normal. Tamaki hosted with a charming smile, he served tea, gave compliments, accepted gifts, everything he'd always done before the accident. There was only one difference now. Every day after club hours, or sometimes even during school if they had the time, Tamaki would meet with the girl he truly loved, and they would walk together into the rose maze and sit in the gazebo, either talking or just enjoying each other's company. Sometimes, they'd even spend their evenings at Haruhi's place.

Ranka had reacted as expected to the relationship: stomping Tamaki's head into the ground, threatening his life and certain parts of his body if he ever hurt Haruhi, etc. Surprisingly, he didn't take it much worse than that. The tranny even made an effort to be civil to him, even though Tamaki would often say the wrong thing at the wrong time and invoke the older man's rage. For the most part, it was working out quite well.

One day in particular, the couple sat in Haruhi's room. She had finished her homework and there wasn't much on TV, so they just relax together. Tamaki was keeping silent, seemingly lost in thought. Haruhi watched him from her place under his arm, curiosity growing.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him.

Tamaki glanced at her, "Nothing, it's just that… when I woke up in the Hospital that day, I was alone."

Haruhi blinked, wondering why that was such a problem.

"It felt like I was being shocked," He continued. "When I was… up there. I woke up after a couple of shocks and I thought someone had used defibrillators on me, but I was alone, so how…?"

Haruhi pondered that for a moment, and admitted it did seem strange. She didn't blame Tamaki for being bothered by it. A smile crossed over her features as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"To be honest," She began. "I don't really care how it happened, I'm just glad you're back."

Tamaki smiled back, and pulled away a bit so he could give her a quick kiss.

"Me too, Haruhi," He pulled his girlfriend closer to him. "Me too."

A few minutes later, Tamaki's stomach began to growl loudly, much to his embarrassment. Haruhi just laughed and went to make them a snack. She returned a few minutes later with his favorite: ramen noodles, and found that he'd moved from his spot and was now kneeling in front of her mother's picture, praying.

Haruhi stood for a few minutes watching him. His face was serene and a small smile adorned his features, making her wonder what he was thinking.

"Thank you," She heard him whisper. "I promise I will."

She had no idea what that meant, but felt a happy feeling in her stomach when she heard it.

**  
The library was surprisingly quiet. It was Tamaki's seventh day since returning to school and he still had mountains of make up work to complete. Normally Kyoya studied with him, but today he was busy, leaving Tamaki to sit alone at a table in the back. Of course, he was only alone to the naked eye. Completely unseen, three figures stood quietly behind Tamaki, watching him intently.

"Well, that's it," Hoki sighed. "The kid's alive and everything's normal again. I'm really going to miss him."

For her part, Elissa looked close to tears.

"Oh Tamaki, my darling boy!" She cried out dramatically. "Our time together was so short, but I will always treasure it. You are like a diamond in the rough, a true Prince among fools, you are-"

"Good GOD!" Hoki emphasized the second word as much as he could. "Would you listen to yourself? You sound like a bad soap opera."

Intentionally or not, this incited the former singer's rage.

"HOW DARE YOU?" She screamed at the male ghost, sticking her face close to his. "I can't believe I ever thought you might not be a cretin. You certainly just proved me wrong, you filthy cretin!"

"Quit calling me a cretin!" Hoki shouted back, leaning in as well to show he wouldn't be cowed. "I don't even know what that means!"

"And that's why you're a cretin!" Elissa fired back.

The two ghosts continued their bickering, while their third and much younger companion edged away, she'd never liked listening to them fight. Naru sadly approached the oblivious Tamaki, wanting nothing more than for him to look at her and smile like he used to. She reached for his pant leg, not caring when her hand went through it and looked up at him.

"I'm glad you're all better, Mr. Tamaki," She said with wide, sad eyes. "But I really miss you a lot."

Tamaki turned the page of his book and moved to write something down. His pen slipped through his hand and landed at Naru's feet. He sighed and pushed his seat out a bit to pick it up, and Naru moved back a little, not wanting him accidentally put his hand through her. He picked it up between two fingers and drew himself back up, stopping midway, leaving him eye to eye with Naru.

Then he winked.

Naru's eyes widened and she let out a gasp.

The now smiling Tamaki righted himself, then turned to the arguing ghosts in the corner, both too busy with their fight to notice anything else.

"Hoki, Elissa," Tamaki called to them. "I don't mean to be rude, but could you please quiet down a bit? I've got a lot of studying to do."

This stopped the argument completely. Hoki and Elissa whirled around when they heard him address them, something they never thought would happen again.

The bell ring just then, preventing any further talking as Tamaki sighed again and got up to collect his things.

"Have to get to class now," He said to himself and to the ghosts. "You guys can come, but I have to ask that you don't make too much noise, it's not polite."

He finished packing his bag and smiled warmly at Naru.

"After club hours, maybe we can go back to the duck pond. You'd like that, right Naru-chan?"

The girl didn't answer, and her companions were equally lost for words, the implications of what was happening hitting them just as Tamaki flashed them a knowing grin and started for the door.

"Wait…" Hoki muttered in a daze. "What the-"

He took off after Tamaki without warning, leaving Elissa to quickly scoop up Naru and follow as fast as she could. They caught up with Tamaki easily, mostly because he'd stopped on his own. His eyes were on the young girl a few feet away, picking up books she'd just dropped.

Lightly chuckling, Tamaki walked to her, the ghosts following close behind.

"Maybe you should invest in a better bag?" Tamaki suggested when he stood in front of the girl.

Miyako looked at him in surprise, but her eyes narrowed slightly when she realized who it was speaking. Tamaki bent down and picked up the final book before she could stop him, placing it at the top of the pile.

"There you go," He smiled at her.

The medium gave him a deadpan look, then stood back up.

"Well, aren't you chummy," She muttered, rearranging the books in her arm to hold them better.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Tamaki asked sincerely. "We are friends after all."

Miyako raised an eyebrow. "Since when?"

Tamaki shrugged. "Since I wouldn't be here right now without you and Hasami could have hurt Haruhi if you hadn't interfered."

His smile widened.

"And also because I want to be your friend, Miyako."

A funny sound came out the back of her throat. That clearly wasn't the answer she'd been expecting. There was a period of silence, then Miyako closed her eyes and sighed.

"You can be a real idiot sometimes, you know that, Suoh?"

Tamaki smiled, because he knew she didn't mean it to be hurtful. She could frown all she wanted, there was a warmth in her eyes.

The girl made a 'hm' sound, then glanced over his shoulder, noticing the ghosts for the first time.

"You probably haven't noticed," she told him as her gaze flicked back to him. "But you have a couple of stalkers."

Tamaki looked behind him, sending a smirk to the ghosts as he did so before turning back around.

"You mean Hoki, Elissa and Naru-chan?" he questioned casually. "They've been following me all day, actually."

Miyako nodded in understanding… and then it hit her.

"Wait," she shook her head a bit. "How did you know that?"

"I don't know. How did you know?" Tamaki countered with an odd look.

"What do you mean 'how'?" Miyako answered, making it clear she considered that a really stupid question. "I can see the-"

She stopped. Tamaki grinned.

"You-" Miyako was completely lost for words as the realization hit. "You- You can… how- SINCE WHEN?"

"I don't know how," Tamaki answered with a shrug. "It started after I woke up. I haven't told anyone yet besides you and Haruhi, and it's not just these three either. I'm seeing and hearing a lot of them now."

Tamaki looked again at the ghosts, studying them intently.

"They started out kind of fuzzy," He continued, not taking his eyes off the ghosts. "But now they're as clear as you and me."

Miyako gawked at him. She honestly looked rather stupid with her mouth hanging open like that. Finally, she regained her composure and closed it, but she still couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Tamaki's hand reached out to her and he gave a short laugh.

"Looks like we have something in common now, huh Miyako?"

Tamaki's smile invoked a dozen emotions in Miyako, most of which urged her to smack it off. Instead she simply shook her head in total disbelief.

"Unbelievable," she deadpanned. "Absolutely unbelievable."

Her feet started to move and Tamaki followed her. By now, the three ghosts had been able to process everything and to say they were happy would be a massive understatement.

"AH, KID!" Hoki cried, running alongside the two of them. "I knew you wouldn't really abandon us."

"It's like a miracle!" Elissa rejoiced.

"Unbelievable," Miyako repeated again, both due to Tamaki's reveal and the fact that it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. She could already sense some interesting times ahead, and Suoh would be part of them no matter what. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Just wait until you guys are done with this school stuff," Hoki prattled on to the two mediums. "We'll have some real fun, I tell you. We're gonna paint this town red!"

**THE END**


End file.
